


Let's try our very best to fake it

by mogirl97



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: ARGUS agents au, F/M, Flashbacks, Undercover as Married, also a little bit of inspiration from chuck, somewhat inspired by quantico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 07:42:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8363725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mogirl97/pseuds/mogirl97
Summary: ARGUS agents Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak are given an undercover assignment to infiltrate a suspected war profiteering organization under the aliases of a married couple. A complicated history between them means that faking it as a Mr. and Mrs. isn't exactly something they were prepared for during their training.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I've been working on this fic for about a month now and, while it was originally intended to be a shorter one-shot, it ended up turning into something a lot longer. I still wanted to be able to post the entire thing for you guys at once though which is why it's taken me so long to get it up (if you follow me on twitter you know I've been teasing this one for a while). Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story and, as always, I would love to hear what you thought! You can leave a comment or come chat with me on tumblr (mogirl97.tumblr.com) or twitter (@mogirl97) :)

Felicity tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in the long line for her morning coffee. Whoever was currently at the counter was ordering something with more than six words which was just not acceptable for the busiest hour of the morning. Maybe it was time for her to finally invest in a Keurig.  Then she wouldn’t have to get up as early to make an extra stop before work and deal with whip cream and caramel drizzle on top of soy milk with a splash of coffee at 6:42 am girl.

Finally she made it to the front of the line and the familiar barista smiled, “Vanilla Chai Latte, right?”

“Oh no, I’m becoming too predictable,” Felicity lamented, extending her phone so that she could scan her card and pay.

“You do get it iced sometimes,” the barista pointed out as she wrote her name on the cup in flourishy handwriting. “But based on the fact that you’re wearing a sweater today, I figured that was out of the question. Oh, and your lipstick looks really pretty on you by the way. You always pull off such amazing shades! Have a nice day!”

She was never buying a Keurig.

Coffee in hand, she walked out onto the street and her phone started to ring. A quick glance at the contact picture on the screen, and she was taking a deep breath to compose herself before pressing the screen to accept the call.

“Hi Mom.”

“Hi sweetheart!”

She dodged a person who was walking down the sidewalk towards her and not paying attention to where they were going, “Look Mom, now is really not a great time to talk. I’m on my way into work.”

“Work, work, work. You’re always working. You would think with being a travel agent you would know how to take a vacation every once in awhile.”

“Mhmm,” Felicity muttered non-committedly, taking a sip of her latte and letting the cinnamon and spice goodness warm her from the inside out. Ever since her mom had sent her an article she had read in one of her magazines a few months ago about how coffee turned on stress hormones, she had made the switch over to tea. While she missed the extra caffeine boost, she figured this was an easier way to try and reduce stress than actually finding time to make it to yoga. At least her mom couldn’t say that she _never_ listened to any of her advice.

“Anyway, I won’t take too much of your time, I just wanted to know what you were planning on doing for Thanksgiving this year. I’ve been saving my days off and I was thinking of flying out to see you---“

Felicity pushed open the doors to her office building and quickly interrupted her mom, “No, no, no. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m going to be busy. Very busy. Thanksgiving is a big time of year for travel and all that stuff… that I do for my job. As a travel agent.”

“Oh. Okay. It’s fine, I’ll just probably pick up an extra shift then. The tips are usually good on holidays.”

The dejection in her mom’s voice was obvious and Felicity felt a pang of guilt but there was just no way that she could have her mom come visit for the holidays.

Normal people, with normal lives, had their family around the dinner table for Thanksgiving.

She stepped into the empty elevator and slid open the panel to reveal the keyboard awaiting her security clearance password to take her to the 11th floor that wasn’t indicated by the array of numbered buttons available to the general public.

There was almost nothing normal about her life.

“Maybe next time when I get a few days off, I can come and visit you?” Felicity suggested as she tapped out her password, knowing full well that she wasn’t going to have any days off in the foreseeable future.

“That would be nice,” her mom replied, a little bit of the brightness back in her voice. “Have a good day at work honey, love you!”

“Love you,” she echoed before hanging up.

The elevator doors opened and revealed the letters printed on the opposing wall that she was greeted by every morning.

**A.R.G.U.S.**

A women appeared from down the hallway, “Good morning Agent Smoak. Director Waller wants to see you in her office. Immediately.”

Her message delivered, the woman continued on her way while Felicity racked her brain for what she possibly could have done that week that would have drawn the ire of their leader enough to make it worth her time for a face to face meeting.

_“I am the most qualified and competent member of your technical team, firing me would be a huge mistake,”_ she rehearsed to herself as she made her way to Waller’s office.

Once she was admitted inside by an assistant, she began her speech and Waller cut her off immediately, “Have a seat Ms. Smoak. You’re not being fired so don’t bore me with a laundry list of your qualifications that I am already aware of.”

She shut her mouth and slid into one of the two chairs opposite Amanda Waller’s immaculate desk, waiting for her to provide an explanation for why she was called there. The seconds ticked by uncomfortably until another agent arrived and filled the second seat. She stiffened when she became aware of his identity and had a sinking suspicion that she wasn’t going to like whatever Waller had to say, even if it didn’t involve her becoming unemployed.

“Mister Queen, how nice of you to finally join us.”

“I’m sorry I was---“

“Busy?” Waller supplied dryly. “Maybe next time you can request that your morning appointments don’t leave you looking so disheveled. Subtlety was apparently not well covered with the latest batch of recruits.”

Felicity hid an amused grin behind her hand, one that quickly disappeared when Oliver became aware of her presence and looked over with an expression that was momentarily surprised before becoming completely blank.

“What’s going on?” he asked, turning his attention back to Waller.

“I have an assignment for the two of you.”

Oh yes. This definitely had the potential to be worse than finding out she was getting fired. Working with Oliver Queen in any sort of capacity was a nightmare waiting to happen.

“The two of us, as in, working together?” Felicity inquired.

“That would be implied by the fact that we’re having this meeting together,” Waller responded with the slightest tinge of annoyance. “We’ve been closely monitoring for the past few months a woman by the name of Violet Ayerse under suspicion that she’s involved in organizing a war profiteering scheme.”

Felicity’s interest was piqued and the wheels in her head started to turn. Considering her usual assignments, she was prepared to hear that she was going to have to hack into the organization’s record or track down whoever Violet’s been contacting--- or maybe that was an alias and she was going to have to figure out her true identity --- but of course none of those possibilities explained what Oliver was doing here so--

“---- going undercover as a married couple by the names of---“

_Wait, what?_

“I’m sorry, could you just repeat that again?” Felicity requested, hoping she had misheard.

Waller looked at her in exasperation, “Since we’ve run into a dead end investigating from the outside, we’ve decided to try a new approach. We’ve created aliases for the two of you and have made contact with Ms. Ayerse. You’ll be visiting her private estate in Bali for a few days as she wines and dines her investors in attempts to get them to increase their stock in her company, and then continue the operation from there if necessary. And yes, your aliases are Thomas and Eliza Callahan, a married couple.”

She could see Oliver shift uncomfortably next to her out of the corner of her eye and knew he was probably about as thrilled as she was about this scenario. How terrible it would be for him to have to act like he was married to someone like her who actually saw him for the jerk he was and didn’t worship the ground he walked on like most of the other young, single (and let’s be honest, some of the not-so-single) agents at headquarters who were more than willing to have morning “meetings” with him.

“I don’t think that we’re the right fit for this,” Oliver remarked, glancing over at her. She drew her lips together in a tight line and kept her eyes glued on her hands clasped tightly in her lap.  

Waller narrowed her eyes, “It’s not a matter of your opinion. The two of you have the complementary qualifications to get the intel we need and you’re both in between assignments. Whatever personal problems you might have with each other, I expect you to get over them immediately. You’ll each be given a drive with everything we’ve collected so far and more details on the mission. Prepare yourselves well and figure out how to act married so you don’t blow your cover. That is all.”  

They took their cue to leave and exited her office, turning separate ways in the hallway without speaking to each other. Working on acting “married” could wait a little bit longer.

When she got to her office, Agent Michaels was leaning against the doorframe.

“By the look on your face, I take it you just got finished with Waller,” she observed as Felicity nudged past her to deposit her bag on her desk. The remainder of her latte was ice cold at this point and she dropped the cup into the trash can.

“Did you know about this?” Felicity asked.

“I recommended you for it,” she admitted with a shrug.

“Lyla!” Felicity’s eyes widened in exasperation. “You know I _despise_ him.”

“I didn’t know that you would be paired with him. I just knew that you had been complaining about constantly being tied to your desk and so when I heard about this assignment, I put a good word in for you with Waller. You get to go to Bali and live the life of the fabulously wealthy for a few days while you collect intel. Compared to my first field assignment, this will be like going on vacation.”

Felicity started rearranging things on her desk to release some of her frustrated energy, “Why aren’t you and John doing this? You know, the actually happily married couple?”  

Lyla rubbed the baby bump that was just starting to show on her stomach, “Just because it’s not supposed to be too dangerous doesn’t mean it couldn’t be. Plus, you know that Johnny hates getting involved with stuff here. Too much moral gray.”

“Like making people get fake married?” Felicity muttered, knowing full well she was being overly dramatic seeing as they had people downstairs with bombs imbedded into their spines.

“On the bright side, your fake divorce at the end of the assignment won’t require dealing with any lawyers. So…” Lyla pulled a ring box out of her pocket and opened it to reveal the most ostentatious engagement ring Felicity had ever seen, “Will you marry Oliver Queen for the sake of international security?”

“Every little girl’s dream,” Felicity declared sarcastically as she extended her left hand. “My mother will be over the moon at the news.”

Lyla slid the ring onto her finger as well as an accompanying wedding band before reaching into her other pocket, “And…” She dropped a data chip into Felicity’s other hand, “Your briefing. Try to remember that it’s just a job, and an opportunity that you have worked very hard for. No one’s asking you to actually fall in love with him.”

Felicity sighed, “You’re right. Thank you Lyla, for putting in a good word for me.”

Lyla squeezed her shoulder, “Of course. Now go upstairs and pick up the clothes they’re providing you with for the assignment. Apparently “Eliza Callahan” has expensive tastes so…”

Felicity brightened, “You know just how to make me feel better.”

Her good mood lasted for about a minute, until Oliver slid into the elevator with her just as the doors were closing. He glanced at her hand and Felicity realized she was still wearing her rings.

She fiddled with them awkwardly and waited for him to be the first one to say something.

Finally he did, “So… Do you think we should spend some time together after work tonight going over the intel they gave us?”

“I would prefer not to have to spend more time with you than necessary, so no thank you,” she replied, her eyes glued to her hands.

He exhaled in relief, “Glad we’re on the same page. I didn’t want to have to cancel my dinner date.”

“I didn’t think you did anything as serious as actual dates,” she quipped as the elevator doors opened and they both stepped out.

“It’s with my little sister so… I have to work on my excuse for why I’m going to be missing her birthday for this assignment.”

“Oh. Well good luck with that.”

“Agent Queen,” a smooth, seductive voice drifted down the hallway and they both turned to see an agent peeking her head out of her office. “Do you have a minute to…” The agent caught sight of Felicity standing behind Oliver and she coughed awkwardly, “A minute to go over that… umm, disarming technique again that you were showing me earlier?”

Felicity refrained from rolling her eyes as she muttered, “Well I won’t hold you up any longer because it sounds like you have important work to do.”

A sheepish look appeared on his face and he ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah. Anyway, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Mhmm,” she replied curtly before pivoting on her heel and heading to the office where she was supposed to pick up her clothes from.

_It’s just a job._

* * *

 

Felicity drained the rest of her wineglass as she swiped across her tablet and read over the information she had been given about her assignment, which wasn’t much more than Waller had given them during their meeting. From the outside, Violet ran a clean enterprise that invested in vacation real estate around the globe. It was only recently that federal agencies started to suspect that there was something else more underhand going on. Getting people on the inside had become their best bet for finding out how the organization worked, who was involved, and how much the people who were involved knew about where their money was going. That was why ARGUS had been developing the personas that she and Oliver would be taking on.

_Thomas and Eliza Callahan._

Fortunately for them, Violet apparently hadn’t asked for many details about them and the money that “they” had already transferred had told her everything she cared to know, so they didn’t need too complicated of a cover.  If anyone did ask while they were in Bali though, they had made their fortune investing in foreign markets. Believable, and tedious to bother with confirming otherwise.

Before the case was transferred to ARGUS, the CIA and FBI had already made attempts at buying into the organization under fake personas and they had been largely unproductive at learning anything about the potential weapon and intel dealing that was allegedly taking place alongside the legitimate business. She and Oliver would need to find a way to learn more about the side of the operation that Violet kept well concealed even from her investors, and getting this exclusive invitation to Violet’s home in Bali was a good first step.

Felicity slid off of the couch and padded into her bedroom where she had several garment bags on her bed. Unzipping one, she ran her fingers along the silky red fabric of the gorgeous backless gown she had gotten to try on earlier. This was the kind of mission that she had always dreamed of going on, filled with glamour and danger, but had thought only happened in the movies. She was determined to not let her partner damper any more of her excitement to finally get off the desk and use her skills in the field. If there was one thing she was good at, it was getting even the best kept secrets out of computers.

> **25 MONTHS AGO: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY**
> 
> _“I’m going to need to see you put a little more effort in Smoak,” the supervisor barked as she was knocked to the ground again._
> 
> _“What is she even doing here?” Felicity heard one of the girls watching on the side mutter._
> 
> _“Don’t discount her, this just isn’t in her skill set,” someone replied._
> 
> _When she propped herself up on her elbow to get up off the ground she caught the eye of the guy who had said that and he winked._
> 
> [3 hours later]
> 
> “Whoever is the first to—“
> 
> Felicity’s hand shot into the air, “I’m in.”
> 
> “Are you serious?” the girl in front of her twisted around in her chair to ask. “I didn’t even get through the first firewall yet.”
> 
> She just shrugged nonchalantly and out of the corner of her eye noticed the two recruits from earlier.
> 
> “She has a double masters from MIT in computer sciences and cyber security. I heard ARGUS tapped her as soon as she was handed her diploma,” the guy commented. “So yeah, this is her skill set.”
> 
> She bit her lip to hide her satisfied smile.
> 
> ***END FLASHBACK***

There was bound to be at least one computer she could crack in the enormous home she had just been viewing satellite photos of.

Her phone buzzed and she checked the name that popped up on the screen.

_Dr. Palmer_

She sighed and let it go to voicemail. This new assignment was just another reminder of why she couldn’t pursue that. The last thing she needed was another person in her life that she had to lie to.

Carefully, she packed her clothes from the agency and a few of her own items into her suitcase and double checked to make sure that she had everything that she would need for the weekend.

Walking into her bathroom she started taking off her make-up and the quietness of her apartment suddenly felt oppressive. While she loved her job, it made it hard for her to get close to anyone---- her “engagement” ring reflected brightly off the mirror--- even when she wasn’t pretending to be married. As much as she tried to ignore the loneliness, there were still days when she wished she didn’t sit on her couch eating take-out for dinner alone, or crawl into an empty bed, or have no one to talk to about her day. Lyla seemed to have figured out how to have it all though, so maybe hope wasn’t totally lost for her.  

She finished up in the bathroom and pulled back her sheets before getting into bed. A jet was scheduled for them early tomorrow morning and she wanted to get a good night’s sleep so that she would be sharp in the morning. Unfortunately, her brain had other ideas and refused to quiet as it tossed around hundreds of scenarios that could occur in Bali. Silently, she apologized to her mom for the grande coffee she would definitely be ordering in the morning.

* * *

 

Felicity racked her brain for something she could say to make some conversation, because the awkward silence that had been between them for the past two hours of their flight was getting excruciating. They still had over 20 hours to go and she was pretty sure she was going to lose her mind. She closed her book that she had just been reading the same sentence of over and over again and pushed her glasses onto the top of her head so she could rub her temples.

“So do you think we should discuss anything before we step off this plane and suddenly we have to be Mr. and Mrs. Callahan? Like are we dog or cat people? Do I get along with my in-laws?”

“My parents would like you,” Oliver muttered almost inaudibly, not looking up from his tablet.

“Do we plan on having kids some day? Do we own a yacht? Where did we go on our honeymoon?”

“Felicity, I don’t think anyone is going to be asking us those sorts of questions and we should avoid talking about ourselves more than is necessary. The point of this is to shut down a crime organization, not make friends. You’ve never been undercover before so just let me take the lead so we don’t get killed.”

“Okaaayyy.”

Right. Jerk.

She dropped her eyes back to her book and decided that silence was definitely preferable.

When they arrived in Bali what felt like a million hours later, she was tired and a little stiff. She had made a few attempts at sleeping but, while the seats reclined fully into decently comfortable beds, she was plagued by the same restlessness as the night before. Oliver reminding her that she had very little experience with these sorts of situations had made her nervous. This operation had to go perfectly if she ever wanted another chance at a field assignment again.

On the tarmac, they were met by a man who ushered them into a sleek, black car and drove them along a stunning coastline dotted with luxurious resorts and private beaches. The sun was just starting to set and everything was awash with golden light. Lyla was definitely right about her getting an idyllic location for her first field op. After a twenty minute drive, they pulled up to a gate that opened at the driver’s signal and they continued down a long driveway that led to Violet’s large estate. Once there, they were shown to their accommodations by a staff member, who announced that a cocktail reception would be held in an hour back in the grand lobby they had passed through on their way to their room.

“Please don’t hesitate to let us know if anything isn’t up to your standards,” she remarked before pushing open the door for them.

The suite was one of the most extravagant rooms Felicity had ever stepped foot in. Large glass windows and a set of doors framed one wall and revealed a view of a private deck with an infinity pool that overlooked the beach where the sun was sinking into the waves. A huge bed made up with crisp white linens was pushed up against one of the other walls and Felicity was reminded that she would have to share it with Oliver. Maybe she could convince him to sleep on one of the sofas.

_Yeah right._

Inside the bathroom there was a large Jacuzzi tub with skylights above it and a shower that vaguely resembled a waterfall in a rainforest. She caught her reflection in the mirror and noticed that she was looking a little rough around the edges. A miracle was going to have to happen to make her look like a high society lady in an hour.

She heard Oliver’s low whistle from back out in the bedroom and she peeked her head out and saw him looking out the windows.

“This place is pretty amazing,” Oliver remarked.

“Violet has certainly done well for herself. Some of it illegally, but still. Anyway, I’m going to get ready for that cocktail reception…”

* * *

 

Forty-five minutes later she emerged from the bathroom fairly impressed with the transformation she had managed to make. She was wearing the red backless dress and her hair was pinned up with a few loose curls framing her face. A strand of diamonds dripped down her back and a matching set of earrings made her eyes sparkle. Never in her life had she worn this much money and she felt like a Queen. Her eyes slid over to Oliver reclining on the sofa in his tux.

Not that kind of Queen.

“You ready to go?” she asked, reaching for her clutch and lipstick.

He looked up and she didn’t miss the way his eyes widened almost imperceptibly as he took her in.

“Mhmmm,” he nodded as he reached for his wedding band that was sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

She turned away from him to apply her lipstick in the mirror on the wall by the door and she heard him cough faintly. The tiniest smile curved up the corners of her mouth and she realized that if she was going to have to be stuck with him, she might at least be able to get some enjoyment out of torturing him a bit.

“Okay Mr. Callahan, let’s go mingle with some shady people,” she announced, taking his arm when he walked over to her before making their way down to the grand lobby which had made a transformation since they had walked through it earlier. It was now bustling with other guests and staff members weaving amongst them serving food and drinks. Music from an orchestra filled the space and there were a few couples dancing.

Oliver leaned in and whispered, “Violet is to your three o’clock.”

She slid her eyes to her right and caught sight of the woman. Violet was a bit of an enigma and ARGUS had very little information on her, but they had been given a picture that matched the woman Oliver had identified. She was quite tall, with fair skin, long dark hair that was swept over one shoulder, and piercing green eyes. Her simple, navy blue gown fit her perfectly, like it was made specifically for her, and Felicity figured that it probably had been. There was a circle of people around her at the moment so she knew that they would have to wait until later to introduce themselves.   

“We should dance,” Oliver remarked.

> **25 MONTHS AGO: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY**
> 
> “Oliver! Come dance with us!”
> 
> Felicity watched as a group of girls attempted to wave him out onto the makeshift dance floor they had constructed in the middle of the training room where most of their class was now hanging out. Stress levels had been high for just about everyone the past couple of days with the rigorous physical and mental challenges that were constantly being thrown at them and people were looking for ways to blow off steam.
> 
> “Sorry ladies, I don’t dance!” he called back to them over the music.
> 
> Tuning out their disappointed protests and refocusing on her laptop, she didn’t even notice when he came over to sit down on the floor next to her.
> 
> “What are you working on?”
> 
> She slammed her laptop shut in surprise and he laughed.
> 
> “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Oliver by the way.”
> 
> “I know who you are,” she muttered. “What are you doing?”
> 
> “Well I came over to talk to you, but apparently you’re working on something top secret,” he remarked, tilting his head towards her laptop that she was holding possessively.
> 
> “It’s not top secret, I was just doing a little research on some of our classmates,” she admitted sheepishly.
> 
> When she had overheard him mentioning her credentials the other day, she realized that she didn’t know much about the other people in their group and had been intent on rectifying that in her spare time.
> 
> “Find anything interesting?”
> 
> She shrugged non-committedly, “Maybe.”
> 
> “Well I’ll save you some effort, what do you want to know about me?”
> 
> She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow, “Who says I want to know anything about you?”
> 
> ***END FLASHBACK***

“I thought you don’t dance,” she countered.

“I don’t. But it will give us a good vantage point to watch people’s interactions and get a visual inventory of everyone who’s here.”

Moving together out into the middle of the floor, she started to scan the crowd over his shoulder as they swayed to the music with her arms looped around his neck and his wrapped around her waist. No one in particular stood out to her in the sea of wealthy looking couples and individuals, some younger, some older. She didn’t think they would be able to learn much of anything from their fellow investors, it was likely that her and Oliver were the most knowledgeable people in the room about what their money was being put towards. Still, it was a good idea to be aware of everyone that was staying at the estate for the weekend.

After a few minutes, Felicity could feel Oliver’s hands sliding lower down her back and she narrowed her eyes, “If you touch my ass, I will kill you…”

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Violet watching them and she pressed a chaste kiss to his jawline before whispering in his ear, “…creatively.”

His eyebrow raised as he grinned teasingly and she saw a brief glimpse of an Oliver she hadn’t seen in a long time, “I thought I’m supposed to make it seem like we’re married. How else am I supposed to do that?”

She sighed in exasperation, “Oh I don’t know Oliver, let’s talk about some important elements to a healthy relationship like _communication_ and _trust_ and---“

Violet was making her way over to them now and she quickly quieted and pasted on what she hoped looked like an affectionate expression.

“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to the two of you.” Violet extended an elegantly manicured hand and Oliver released his hold on her waist so he could take it.  

“Thomas Callahan,” Oliver introduced himself. “This is my wife Eliza.”

“Ahh yes, I remember corresponding with you now. Is this your first time in Bali?”

“It is,” Oliver answered shortly.  

“It’s beautiful isn’t it? I have floated between many places in my life, but soon as I arrived here, I knew it would be the perfect place to settle down a bit. Have you two done much traveling?”

Felicity nudged Oliver sharply in the side with her elbow. They definitely should have spent some time discussing their headcanons for their relationship. Luckily, she had come up with them without him.

Looks like she was going to be taking the lead.

“Not as much for pleasure as I wish, since our business travels keep us quite occupied. We spent our honeymoon in Rome and I’ve been begging him to take me back for a visit though soon,” Felicity gripped Oliver’s arm. “So hopefully for our anniversary, right honey?”

“That seems fitting,” Oliver remarked, a smile on his face that she knew full well was fake.

“Ah where did you stay in Rome?” Violet asked.

“The Cavalieri,” Felicity answered automatically.

Violet took her hands in hers, “Oh the view from La Pergola is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Felicity shook her head in agreement, “Absolutely stunning.”

A menacing looking man approached them and pulled Violet aside. They talked briefly in hushed tones and Felicity watched Violet’s face pale. The man walked away a moment later and Violet turned back to them.

“I’m afraid I’m being called away for the evening, but please enjoy yourselves. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Felicity smiled, “Likewise.”

When Violet was out of earshot, Oliver turned to her with an expression that was equal parts amused and annoyed, “The Cavalieri?”

“We were on that plane for almost 24 hours, I had to occupy myself somehow. I can show you some pictures of the Planetarium Suite where ‘we stayed’. There’s a private rooftop terrace with a Jacuzzi and an Extra King-sized floating featherbed, whatever that is. We must have had quite a good time.” She patted his chest, “Oh, and we’re dog people.”

“Agreed,” Oliver grumbled.

“Look,” Felicity tugged him over to a quiet corner of the room. “I know you said that we’re not here to make friends, but don’t you think we should at least be trying to get close to Violet? If we can get her to trust us, her guard will be down and she’ll be more likely to let stuff slip.”

“We could also save time by just tying her up to a chair and threatening the information out of her.” She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged, “What? I’ve done it more than once before and it’s usually effective.”  

“Okay well, I like her, so let’s save that for a last resort.”

“It doesn’t matter how you feel about her, we’re here to do a job.”

“Then what am I here for?” She whispered angrily. “Because I know we have to deal in extremes sometimes, but I didn’t exactly take the class on torturing people. In case you forgot, I’ve pretty much just been sitting behind my desk at headquarters for the past year.”  

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “We need to figure out how Violet gets in contact with her seller and buyers and, unless she’s really old-fashioned, that’s bound to be something you can exploit.” He placed a hand on either of her shoulders, “You’re here to make sure that torture is the very, _very_ , last resort. It’s not like I enjoy it.”

“I didn’t mean to insinuate that,” she responded apologetically.

He shook his head, “It’s fine. Let’s just try to work the room for a bit, see if we can learn anything useful from anyone here, and then meet back up in an hour. And if you tell anyone any ‘facts’ about us, try to remember to fill me in.”

“I will be vague and mysterious from now on,” she vowed, giving him a little two-fingered salute.

* * *

 

“Learn anything interesting?” she asked Oliver when they were standing at the bar later.

He took a sip of his drink, “Nothing relevant.”

“Me neither. Although I might have gotten us an invitation to stay at a lodge in the Swiss Alps for the winter holidays if you’re interested in that.” She caught sight of woman over his shoulder that she had noticed a few other times that evening, “Also that lady has been hard core checking you out all night.”

He glanced over his shoulder and the woman raised her glass of champagne slightly at him with a suggestive smile. Felicity suddenly felt a bit invisible… and mildly offended. Sure, she wasn’t actually Oliver’s wife, but the rings on her finger should have indicated otherwise to everyone there.

When he turned back to her, he caught the end of her irritated eye roll.

He raised an eyebrow, “Is that bothering you _Mrs. Callahan_?”

“On the contrary, I would be perfectly happy to have the suite all to myself tonight. Try to remember that we’re supposed to be married though and at least be a bit discrete. See you in the morning.”

She emptied her wine glass and stepped away from the bar, tiredness from their travels starting to settle in and the bed back in their room seeming incredibly appealing. When she got back to their room, she was surprised to see that Oliver was leaning against the door.

“How did you---“

“You’re in heels and a dress.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, “So was she not interested or…”

Oliver pushed open the door and responded, “Thomas Callahan would like to have kids someday, does not own something as predictably pretentious as a yacht, _and_ is loyal to his wife.”

“Ah,” she nodded in understanding, supposing that was somewhat romantic, in a fake marriage sort of way, and walked past him into the room.

“Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?” she asked, slipping off her heels.  

“No, go ahead,” he consented, undoing his bow tie and opening up his collar.

She grabbed her pajamas from her suitcase and then headed for the bathroom. Unpinning her hair, she shook her head and let her locks fall over her shoulders. The evening hadn’t been too unbearable and she wondered if perhaps she had overreacted a tad bit over this assignment. Sure, Oliver was being a little controlling and aggravating and a million other adjectives in the same vein, but he had his moments. She thought they had managed to pull off their act well, and that was all that mattered. Getting the job done.

Make-up removed and pajamas on, she padded back out into the bedroom where Oliver was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at a piece of paper.

“What’s that?” she asked as she carefully packed up her gown in the garment bag.  

“A welcome letter from the house staff. It says that we can put in an order for food from the kitchen and have it delivered to our suite. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

“I could definitely eat,” she admitted.

Forty-five minutes later they were sitting out on their private deck underneath the stars sampling a variety of dishes that the chef had sent for them. She was glad she had her stretchy pajama pants on and wasn’t concerned about looking good naked for anyone as she reached for a tray of sushi even as he stomach was starting to protest.

“I’ve got to give Violet props for running a super classy criminal organization,” Felicity commented, picking up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks and looking out over the beach that was faintly lit by the moon.

“Yeah this is definitely a different experience than Hong Kong,” Oliver muttered.

A memory flashed through her mind that made her stomach turn and, setting her chopsticks down abruptly, she stood up, “I don’t think I can eat anymore so… I’m going to head to bed.”

Awkwardly, she started to gather up some of the dishes when Oliver grabbed her wrist gently, “I’m sure housekeeping will take care of that.”

She shook her head, “Oh yeah. Right. Well, umm goodnight.”

He released her wrist, “Goodnight Felicity, I’ll be inside in a minute.”

Nodding, she turned and walked into the bedroom. Earlier someone had been in to turn down the bed so it was all ready for her to slip in under the covers. She closed her eyes and felt her whole body relax into the expensive feeling linens and plush mattress. As Oliver climbed in beside her a few minutes later she realized that for the first time in a while she hadn’t eaten take-out alone and her bed wasn’t empty.

It was just all wrong because it was him.

After what felt like hours of just staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep, Felicity quietly crawled out of the bed. The floor squeaked slightly and she glanced back at Oliver, but the noise hadn’t awoken him so she tugged on her robe and walked out into the hallway. Hopefully, she would be able to find her way back to their suite after a little exploring. She made a mental note to work on accessing blueprints for the estate in the morning.

Wandering down quiet, empty hallways filled with locked doors, she finally started to get drowsy and contemplated going back to bed when she heard voices coming from nearby. She plastered herself to the wall and, peeking around the corner, she noticed that a door was cracked open just slightly so she moved in closer to listen.

“There, now are you feeling a little better after your bath?”

A voice that she recognized as Violet’s.

“A little.”

A voice that she didn’t recognize but sounded quite young.

She squinted her eyes to look through the opening between the door and frame and saw that Violet was sitting on a bed with a little girl leaning back against her chest. All of Violet’s makeup was off and Felicity was struck with how young she looked wearing a simple nightgown and with her hair in a loose braid. It was quite possible that Violet was even younger than her and Felicity wondered how in the world she had gotten herself into such a position as this.  

“I thought your cough was starting to go away?” Violet asked, smoothing over the little girl’s hair with her hands.

“I’m fine sis, I promise.”

So Violet had a little sister. Felicity tucked that fact away in her brain.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway and Felicity leapt back behind the wall, watching as a young boy ran into the room she had just been observing.

“Oh buddy, what’s wrong?” she heard Violet inquire.

“I had a bad dream,” the little boy whimpered. “Can I sleep with you and Eleanor?”

“Of course you can.” There was a pause and then Violet spoke again, “What was your dream about?”

“The bad guys.” More sniffling. “They found us.”

“Now… you don’t need to worry about that. I’m always going to keep you safe. I promise.”

Silence fell across the hallway and a yawn broke out over her face, her eyelids growing heavy, so she turned to head back to bed with the wheels in her head spinning with her new discoveries.  

* * *

 

“Siblings?” Oliver repeated, after she explained what she had overheard the night before.

They were going for a morning run along the beach and, as she struggled to keep up with Oliver and talk at the same time, she was quickly realizing that she was no longer in as good of shape as she had been during training. When she got back she really needed to start using the gym at headquarters more. Maybe get one of those treadmill desks.

Felicity sucked in a deep breath, “Yep, two younger ones. The sister is named Eleanor, I don’t know about the brother. And what about the whole thing with ‘bad guys’ coming to find them?”

“Their big sister is a suspected war profiteer, I’m sure they’ve had their share of experiences with bad guys,” Oliver pointed out. “I wonder why the parents aren’t in the picture anymore…”

“See, this is why I think we should try to get close to her. Or I should. Lately you only seem to operate on two modes with women, and I don’t think either ‘grrrr’ or ‘let’s get naked’ is going to suffice in this instance.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the faintest amused expression flicker across his face for a second before he pulled farther ahead of her, “Fine. See what you can get out of her, but, at the same time, we start working on finding where her base of operations is in this place. If it’s here at all.”

“Copy that!” she called after him, not even attempting to keep up with his faster pace. “Or is it roger? I never knew the difference….”

Turning around, she walked back to the estate and took a shower before getting dressed in a sundress. Oliver had made it back by the time she stepped out of the bathroom and he held up a card.

“This was sitting on the table by the door. An invitation to brunch with Violet.”

“Oh I hadn’t even noticed that, thank you.”

He nodded and handed her the card before ducking past her into the bathroom. She heard the shower start to run and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait for him to finish getting ready. In the meantime, she started her search for blueprints of the estate. A few minutes later Oliver stepped out of the bathroom and she glanced up from her tablet briefly to catch sight of him with his towel slung low around his waist before quickly averted her eyes, cursing herself for the way her heart started hammering in her chest.  

> **19 MONTHS AGO: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY**
> 
> Felicity tilted her head back and let it rest on the tile wall as steam filled the shower and wrapped around them. Her fingertips dug into his back while he kissed her neck, his teeth nipping over the delicate skin before soothing it with his tongue.  
> 
> “Mmm… Oliver,” she sighed. “We can’t… not now… we have a… we’re supposed to be meeting for briefing in 30 minutes.”
> 
> He dropped down to his knees and looked up at her, water droplets collecting on his eyelashes, “That’s plenty of time.”
> 
> “Maybe for you, I have to dry my hair and—“ He started rubbing circles on the insides of her thighs with his thumbs, effectively cutting off her train of thought. “--- And, and stuff…”
> 
> He pressed a kiss right above her left hipbone, trailing his lips lower and lower and…
> 
> She slammed her eyes shut and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to stifle a moan.  
> 
> This really had to stop.
> 
> But that’s what she told herself every time, and here they were again.
> 
> ***END FLASHBACK***

It’s not like she couldn’t understand why almost all of her fellow female agents back at headquarters jumped at a chance to get up close and personal with… _all of that._

“Oh sorry,” Oliver remarked in surprise. “I thought you had already gone to brunch.”

She kept her gaze glued to her tablet, “Nope. I was waiting for you.”

“Uhh okay, I’ll be ready in 10.”

“Mhmm.”

He grabbed some clothes from his suitcase and retreated back into the bathroom. When she heard the door shut, she leaned back against the mattress with an exasperated sigh that she wasn’t sure was more directed at him or herself.

Once Oliver was ready they made their way down to a terrace overlooking the beach where brunch was being served. Felicity noticed that it was a much smaller crowd than the night before, just two other couples and a few single people in addition to them.

“We must have made a good first impression,” she leaned into him slightly to whisper.

“I think that’s more thanks to you,” he replied.

“Was that a compliment?” She reached up to press the back of her hand to his forehead, “Are you feeling ill?”

“Oh I hope not,” Violet piped up, having just appeared beside them.

She retracted her hand and turned to face Violet, “Oh no, he’s fine. I mean, I’m not a doctor, he could be sick but--”

“But I’m not,” Oliver interjected before she started rambling.  

“Well then, please help yourself to some food…” Violet gestured at the buffet. “And then we can chat some more, no?”

Felicity nodded and Violet walked back over to the table where everyone else was seated. They filled up plates from the delicious looking spread and accepted mimosas from a bartender before taking their places at the table. They listened quietly as Violet addressed the other guests and Felicity was impressed by the way she managed to make people feel like they weren’t involved with something underhand. She asked about their families and jobs like it was just a normal gathering among friends.

It was appearing more and more likely that even these people who seemed to be closer to Violet weren’t aware of everything their money was being invested into. When she replayed in her head what she had seen or heard since being in Bali she couldn’t remember one mention of anything that would rouse suspicion of anything illegal. The only reason she had to be suspicious about the war profiteering was because of what she had been told ahead of time. She made a mental note to bring this up to Oliver as soon as they were somewhere more private and see what he thought.

An hour into brunch, the same man who had whisked Violet away at the cocktail party appeared beside her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Only the tiniest flicker of concern passed across her composed face as he spoke, but she dismissed herself from the table as soon as the man walked off.

“I am so sorry to cut things short, but business calls. Please don’t feel rushed though, you are free to linger here as long as you’d like.”

Felicity watched as she scurried off and waited a few seconds before announcing that she was going to use the restroom.

She squeezed Oliver’s shoulder, “I’ll be right back.”

Inside the estate, she caught sight of Violet turning down a hallway and recalled every bit of her training on trailing undetected that she could remember as she followed her. Her efforts proved successful when she saw Violet slip into a room that the man who had come to retrieve her was stationed outside of. Staying hidden, she pulled her tablet out of her bag and opened the file with the estate’s blueprints that she had found earlier. The room that Violet was in was intended to be a study, according to the architect’s notes, so it was definitely possible that this was where Violet ran the operations out of. It was a stroke of good luck that she had happened upon it like this because there were countless rooms in the estate and not enough time to investigate each one.

Before anyone could notice her extended absence, she noted the room on her copy of the blueprints and made her way back to the terrace where Oliver was engaged in a conversation with the gentlemen seated to his right. She took her seat and reached over to squeeze his knee and get his attention.

He looked over, “Hey, everything alright?”

“Yeah…” she gave him a look that he interpreted correctly because he turned back to the man he had been talking to and informed him that they would have to continue their conversation later.

No worries,” the man waved his hand dismissively. “If I had a wife as lovely as her I wouldn’t be spending my vacation talking to me either. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

He winked at them and Felicity suppressed an out-of-character eye-roll before they turned to leave the terrace.   

> **16 MONTHS AGO: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY**
> 
> Felicity watching in the reflection of her computer screen as Oliver came in and flopped down on her bed.
> 
> Twisting around in her chair she asked, “What’s up?”
> 
> “Do you want to work together on this Task Force X recruitment assignment?” He held up his file that was similar to the one she had received at their briefing earlier, a dossier on a potential Suicide Squad candidate. “You’re the best at digging up information.”
> 
> “What skills do you bring to the table that would make this a mutually beneficial partnership?” she teased.
> 
> He hopped off the bed and came up behind her to chair to rest his hands on her shoulders. As he started to massage the tension away he ducked his head down to whisper in her ear, “I think we can work something out.”
> 
> “Oh good. Because I definitely need some more help with self-defense. You should see this bruise that I got on my tailbone yesterday during that training exercise.”
> 
> His hands slid down her back to start lifting up her shirt when her roommate peeked her head around the bookcase that separated their individual sides of the room.
> 
> “Oh no. No looking at any bruises. No clothes coming off. You have got to get better at remembering that there is someone else living in this room because I still have not recovered from the incident last week.”
> 
> Oliver pulled his hands back and raised them in the air defensively and Felicity gave her a sheepish look.
> 
> She rolled her eyes in amusement and sighed before heading for the door, “Fine. I’m going for a run, so you have one hour. Just please be fully clothed when I return this time.”
> 
> ***END OF FLASHBACK***

As soon as they were out of earshot from the people remaining at brunch, Oliver spoke up, “I don’t think that any of these people know what all their money is going towards.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing.”

“I mean, that guy that I was just talking to, he was telling me about how he’s never made more profitable business investments before meeting Violet and he enjoys visiting the places she’s developed. He doesn’t exactly strike me as the type of person who would nonchalantly discuss illegal arms dealing and traipsing through war zones over brunch. Which means we need to be very careful to not bring up certain topics that we shouldn’t know anything about if we weren’t ARGUS.”  

She tapped her chin, “Mhmm, I agree. Keeping them in the dark about all the details of her business dealings is a good way to avoid any sudden guilty consciences from creating complications. Fortunately, my errand was successful.”

“What did you find out?”

“I think I found Violet’s office. I followed her when she left,” Felicity explained.

“Smart. So what do you think our next move should be?”

“Wow. First a compliment and now you’re asking for my opinion. What should I expect next?” He narrowed his eyes at her and she patted his chest, “Well _I think_ that you have a little late night reconnaissance with your _lovely_ wife ahead of you. In the meantime, I’m going to work on establishing a connection with Violet.”

She looked up and down the hallway and muttered, “If I can even find her.”

An hour later, she finally did locate Violet sitting out on the beach with a wide brimmed hat on and a crisp white dress shirt over her black bikini. When she spotted Felicity approaching her, she looked up from her book.

She smiled warmly, “Hello Eliza.”

Felicity hesitated for a fraction of a second before remembering that her name was for all intents and purposes, Eliza.

“Hi Violet.” She settled down on the empty recliner next to her, “What are you reading?”

She saw the faintest blush spread across her cheeks as she lifted it up to reveal the cover.

_Intro to Biology_

“I umm, I never graduated high school. I’m studying to take my GED exam.”

Felicity’s eyes widened in surprise, “Oh.”

“I’m not stupid,” Violet added hastily.

Felicity laughed, “Clearly. I have a double masters and I’m not as successful as you…”

_Whoops._

Violet waved a hand dismissively, “Ah well, based on you and your husband’s investments, I would say you’re not doing too poorly.”

Felicity breathed a sigh of relief that her slip up hadn’t seemed to raise any flags. A part of her wanted to try and take that opening to pry about the investments now, but on the other hand she didn’t want to make Violet nervous before she and Oliver had a chance to try and break into her office later.   

“So why now? For your GED I mean.”

“When I was building my business, building this life for myself, there was no time for studies. Things are relatively stable now though and, I’m only 21, it’s not too late to take on a new challenge. I think it would be cool to have “Doctor” in front of my name,” she answered excitedly.

“That would be amazing,” Felicity confirmed. “You definitely seem like the kind of woman who can accomplish anything she puts her mind to.”

Felicity had honestly no idea what to think of this young woman. Maybe ARGUS was wrong, maybe they had gone after the wrong person. Maybe no one thought they were involved in something illegal because they weren’t. She had even more questions running through her mind in addition to all the ones that had developed the night before when she had found Violet with her younger siblings.

She just wasn’t sure how she was supposed to ask those sorts of questions.

Before either of them got a chance to say anything more, a grandmotherly looking women rushed over to them.

“Violet, Eleanor is—“ She caught sight of Felicity and looked at Violet warily.

“It’s alright,” Violet assured the woman. “She’s a friend. What’s wrong?”

“She’s running a high fever again and she’s requested you.”

Violet shook her head and muttered, “I thought that the antibiotics were supposed to clear things up.”

The woman sighed, “I don’t know. I know now is not a good time but I really think we should take her to the hospital before things get worse.”

Violet pressed her fingers to her temples, and Felicity could see the worry painted all over her face. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked.

“No, no,” Violet waved her hands dismissively. “It’s fine, I’ll just have someone make an excuse for my absence at dinner tonight. I’m sorry our time had to be cut short again Eliza.”

Felicity put a reassuring hand on her arm, “It’s alright. Go take care of your sister.”

Violet gave her a weak smile and followed the woman into the house. Turning to head back down the beach, she took a moment to just breathe in the salty air and feel the warm breeze on her cheeks. She wouldn’t mind returning someday to Bali for a real vacation instead of a fake one.

Once she finally wandered back to the suite, she found Oliver sitting out on the deck on his laptop. She plopped down onto the recliner next to him and he asked if she had found Violet.

“I did, and we talked for a bit before she got called away.”

“By the same guy as earlier?”

“No, it was a woman. She came to get Violet because her little sister is sick, and I guess it’s pretty serious, because I think they’re going to take her to the hospital.

Oliver had a contemplative expression on his face, “Hmm.”

“She’s only 21, Violet. 21. She’s studying for her GED because she never finished high school, but yet she’s running a multimillion, possibly billion, dollar business, and is apparently the main caretaker for her little siblings. I just have a hard time reconciling the Violet we’ve met with the one that ARGUS prepared us for. I mean, how positive are they that she’s actually involved in war profiteering? What if the reason the CIA and the FBI didn’t learn anything was because there was nothing to learn?”

“It’s always possible,” Oliver consented. “But they have reasons for their suspicions.”

“I know, I know. Things that don’t add up, connections with people who have shady track records, etcetera, etcetera. I read the briefing. I’m hoping that we can dig up some information tonight that will clarify things because I don’t really know what direction to take with Violet at this point that wouldn’t rouse her suspicions about us. I feel like everything I’m able to learn from her just makes things more confusing.”

Oliver reached over to squeeze her knee reassuringly and she tensed up, causing him to retract his hand quickly. “You’re doing great. No one knew anything about Violet’s family before you discovered that she was taking care of her younger siblings, and that could be an important piece of the puzzle. Family provides strong motivations.”

“Yeah… I guess. Thank you.” She glanced over at him, “What are you working on?”

He closed the laptop, “Nothing important. I was just waiting for you to get back.”

“Aww were you bored without your wife?” she teased.

“No,” he grumbled. “I just didn’t really know what to do, since you were handling things.”

Felicity gestured around her, “Umm I don’t know? Enjoy the fact that we’re in Bali?”

“I’m not used to an assignment doubling as a vacation and it’s unsettling. I feel like I should be looking over my shoulder for someone waiting to kill me, not relaxing.”

She patted his thigh, “Well don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to be on edge tonight when we break into Violet’s office. In the meantime, I’m going for a swim.”

* * *

 

After dinner it was clear that Violet was still gone and, while she felt sympathy for her, she was also glad that they wouldn’t have to worry about her being in her office. When quiet finally settled over the house for the night, she led Oliver to the area of the estate where she had found the study.

“Okay, time to find out how secure the surveillance cameras are here,” Felicity remarked as she got out her tablet before nudging him into an alcove in a hallway near Violet’s study. He sat down on the small couch and she curled up next to him.

She tapped away at her screen and within a few minutes had cracked into the security feed. In the reflection on the screen she could see a smile on Oliver’s face and she twisted around to look at him, “What?”

“Nothing. I just like watching you work. Remember back at training when you---”

“I really think that we should go with the granite countertops instead of marble for the guest suite,” she interrupted him, digging an elbow into his ribs.

> **14 MONTHS AGO: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY**
> 
> Oliver interlaced his fingers with hers as they sat in the van waiting for their signal to begin their turn at the training drill. They were one of the last pairs to go and it was getting late, the only light coming from the sliver of the moon. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
> 
> “I can’t believe we only have 2 weeks left here,” she whispered. “The time has gone by so quickly.”
> 
> When she first got to training, she wasn’t expecting to get close to anyone, let alone him. As the months had passed though, he had slowly broken down her walls and she couldn’t even imagine the way things would have been without him.
> 
> He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
> 
> The corners of her mouth ticked up in an amused smile and she tilted her head to look at him, “Yeah. I heard we’re supposed to find out our field office assignments tomorrow. We have a pretty good chance at not getting split up, right? I mean we both requested Starling and they said people at the top of class ranking usually get their first pick so—“
> 
> In the dark she missed the expression that flashed across his face before their radio crackled, _“Okay you two, you’re up.”_
> 
> Quickly they disentangled from each other so she could do her part of hacking into the surveillance cameras to be his second set of eyes when he entered the building for their part of the simulation.
> 
> ***END OF FLASHBACK***

She looked up as the couple she had spotted out of the corner of her eye walked past them and waved friendlily. “Planning some remodeling?” the wife asked.

“Mhmm,” Oliver nodded, catching on to the reason behind her quick change of subject.

Felicity was relieved that they didn’t seem to find it odd that she and Oliver were hanging out in a random hallway this late in the evening as they continued on without saying anything else. She turned her attention back to scrolling through the various cameras in the estate, looking for one near the room she suspected was Violet’s study.

“Bingo,” she whispered as she found what she was looking for. “It doesn’t look like there’s anyone posted outside the door and with Violet still at the hospital, hopefully there isn’t anyone inside.”

They left their position in the alcove and weaved through the hallways quietly until they got to the door that she had seen Violet disappear behind during brunch earlier.

“Should we knock?” she asked.

“Why in the world would we knock?” Oliver countered, crouching down to examine the lock.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I just feel like we shouldn’t break down the door or anything in case someone is in there that we’re not expecting.”

Oliver turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, “I don’t think we should knock _or_ break down the door.”

“Oh. Well that works too.”  

Inside was nothing but built in shelves lining the walls, that were mostly empty except for a few stray knick knacks and books, and a large, glass desk with nothing on it except for a cup with 3 perfectly sharpened pencils in it and a slim laptop.

“This is a little weird,” she muttered. “The rest of the house is so extravagant, I guess I just expected something a little more—“

“Super villain lair-esque?” Oliver supplied.

“Yeah…” She walked over to the desk and opened up the laptop. “Give me your phone.”

He reached in his pocket, “Why?”

“Because,” she took the phone from him. “You’re going to watch the security cameras while I do my thing.”

It took her a few seconds to get the surveillance feed up and then she set to work on getting into Violet’s computer.

“Wow, she really could use some security upgrades around here,” she whispered.

“I don’t think she normally has to worry about people wanting to spend their vacation hacking into her laptop.”

“That is a valid point.” She clicked open a file and her eyes widened, “But they are definitely missing out on all the fun.”

“You found something?” Oliver asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Oh yeah. I will show you when we’re back at the room, so eyes on the security cameras.  I’m going to start copying stuff to my tablet.”

“We’re about to have company,” Oliver announced in warning a few minutes later and she saw him start to move closer to the door.

“Okay I just need like 30 more seconds…” she replied, willing the progress bar to move faster.

“I’m not sure we have 30 seconds. You better be ready to move fast as soon as that’s finished.”

“Mhmm… and it’s done,” Felicity disconnected her tablet and was about ready to head for the door when Oliver was suddenly striding towards her. The next thing she knew she was sitting on the desk with his hands gripping her thighs to keep her in place and his lips on hers. Once the initial shock wore off she felt herself melting into his embrace, her legs wrapping around his waist and everything around her momentarily disappearing. It was only a fraction of a second though before they were quickly disrupted by the arrival of two men and Felicity realized what Oliver’s intention was as she was reminded of the situation they were in.

Both men looked embarrassed by the scene they had walked in on before one of them spoke up gruffly, “You can’t be in here.”

Oliver helped her down off the desk as he replied smoothly, “Sorry gentlemen, my wife and I got a little carried away and were oblivious of our surroundings.”

Felicity offered up a sheepish smile as she straightened out the skirt of her dress and picked her tablet back up off the desk as discreetly as possible.

“We will just head back to our suite now and be out of your way,” Oliver continued, taking one of her hands and leading her past them and out into the hallway. They walked in silence until they got to their room and once the door was closed behind them the tension between them crackled as they both waited to see who would say something first.

“I’m really sorry,” Oliver finally blurted out. “I didn’t know what else to do so I just reacted and---“

She cut him off, “No it’s fine. I mean it worked, they were too caught off guard to question how we actually got in there.” She held up her tablet, “And we got what we were going after so that’s what’s important.”

“Yeah.”

Neither of them moved and she avoided his eyes as she shifted back and forth on her feet. The elephant in the room that they had managed to ignore so far had made its presence obnoxiously known in light of that kiss.

> **14 MONTHS AGO: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY**
> 
> Felicity pushed open the door to his room, “Hey, good news, I got approved for the Starling headquarters, what about—“
> 
> All of Oliver’s things were gone, his side of the room completely empty except for a neatly folded pile of bed linens on the desk. Her shoulders slumped and her brow furrowed in confusion.
> 
> His roommate came out of the bathroom, “Felicity… hey…”
> 
> “Where’s Oliver?” she asked.
> 
> “Uhh… He left last night pretty much right after we all got back from the training drill. He was top of the class so I’m not surprised that he got offered a high level field assignment before he even completed the program, apparently from Waller herself.”
> 
> She felt like she had been punched in the face, “Oh. Do you know where he got assigned?”
> 
> “No, he didn’t give me any details, I would assume that it’s pretty confidential.” He frowned, “Wait. He didn’t say goodbye to you?”  
> 
> She did her best to keep her voice even, “No, no I guess he didn’t have time or something.”
> 
> “Things did happen kind of fast,” he offered up sympathetically. “I’m sure he’ll get in touch with you as soon as he can.”
> 
> “Yeah…”
> 
> ***END OF FLASHBACK***

“Felcity…” he reached out for her arm but she took a small step back.

“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

_It’s just a job._

A job that she wanted to finish before any more of the band-aids that she had attempted to mend her heart with got ripped off. A job that was made easier by convincing herself that she despised him.

“I just want to—“

“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” she snapped. All of the emotions she had been burying for over a year had been bubbling to the surface and the dam was about to break. Her voice lowered and she willed the tears not to fall, “I mean, what do you want me to say?”

His shoulders slumped, “I don’t know.”

“I was in love with you and you just left. Like almost everyone else in my life, you left. You never told me that you were leaving, I had no idea where you were, if you were okay. _For a year_.”

He shook his head, “I should have told you I was leaving, but I just didn’t know how to say goodbye to you. There was a million times when I was gone that I wanted to hear your voice, but there was no way for me to make contact.”

“And I could have accepted that that’s what I signed up for when things started to get serious, that sometimes our job would pull us apart, except that then when you came back you acted like nothing had ever happened between us and like I was a complete stranger. I felt like a fool for missing you and for believing that I was worth anything more to you than just a good time, easily replaceable by the countless other women you’ve slept with since you got back.”

“No Felicity. That’s not— I don’t—“ He sighed, “They’re just… distractions. No one could _ever_ replace you, but because of the life that I lead, I just think it’s better to not be with someone that I really care about. After everything that happened in Hong Kong, the cold, heartless things I had to do, the experiences that chipped away at the guy I was before, I knew that I needed to let you go because things couldn’t just go back to the way they were. That’s why I’ve been keeping my distance since I got back.”  

A conflicting array of emotions were pulling at her heart and she couldn’t figure out what she wanted to say.

When he reached for her this time she was too frozen in place to move and she let him take her hands in his, “I didn’t want to do this assignment because I didn’t know how I could just fake all of this with you. Not after the way I felt, _still feel_ , about you.”

“But none of that matters,” she replied flatly. “When we go back to headquarters nothing will change because you’ve already made up your mind about us.”

The look on his face gave her all the confirmation she needed.

The wheel in her brain that was spinning through potential responses landed on anger and she pulled her hands away, “You think you always know best, don’t you? What’s best for the assignment. What’s best for our relationship. Did you ever stop to consider that there was two people in that relationship that you decided the fate of? Because I think you deserve better than just “distractions.” You act like we don’t work for the same agency; how is the life you lead so different than mine? I have to lie to nearly everyone in my life! I have to accept that sometimes my job makes me just barely the lesser of two evils! Maybe I haven’t had to torture anyone, or personally make any hard calls myself, but I know what goes on in this agency and I’ve been complicit. I have to reconcile that maybe I’m a terrible person because, even with all of that, I love my job. But I am so, _so_ lonely because the person I wanted to go home with at night, who I could be honest with and who could understand what my life is like, left without a trace and came back someone I didn’t even recognize. And now I find out he had _decided_ what was best for me? Well guess what, he was wrong!”

He looked a little shell shocked at her outburst and she sucked in a deep breath as she waited for him to respond. A part of her wanted him to yell right back, but at the same time she was tired and didn’t want a fight. She didn’t want to hear more apologies, more talk of why she apparently wasn’t capable of making her own decisions about what was best for her life.

“Felicity…” he began, and she shook her head.

“No. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Not tonight. You’ve made yourself clear and we have an assignment to focus on.”

Closing the distance she had created between them, she rested her hands on his chest and her engagement ring sparkled under the dimmed lights in their suite.

She was probably going to regret this in the morning but she didn’t care. She was tired of feeling lonely and this pretending that they were doing gave them a means by which to detach their history and the complicated emotions.

At least for one night.  

“And, as undercover agents masquerading as a married couple, we really could step up our game a bit.” She slid her hands down to fiddle with the hem of his shirt and tilted her head inquisitorially, “Don’t you think?”  

She could see the conflict going on in his head reflected in his eyes and she knew if he hesitated much longer her brain would start to catch up to her and she would acknowledge this for the big mistake it was. She was angry with him for acting like a jerk to push her away, but teaming up like this made it feel like old times, no matter how much she had tried to suppress those feelings under layers of ire.

He stepped back and turned away from her and she felt her heart sink.

_Well, it was worth a—_

“Eeep!” she exclaimed as she was suddenly being scooped up into his arms.

He carried her over to the bed and tossed her down gently onto the cloud-like mattress. She watched as he slipped off his shoes and pulled off his shirt and pants before taking her shoes off and dropping them to the floor. His right hand slid up her leg leaving a trail of fire on her skin and pushing up the skirt of her dress to bunch around her hips as he came to hover over her. Reaching out, he brushed her hair out of her face and leaned his head down to whisper in her ear.

“If we’re really going to commit to our cover story, you should probably fill me in on what happened in the Planetarium Suite…”

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

_The Planetarium Suite?_

Oh, right. Their “honeymoon.” He had been paying better attention than she thought.

“Good thinking. Someone must have been at the top of his class.”

She could feel his smile against her skin as he kissed her neck and she rolled her head to the side to give him better access to his favorite spot.

“I think—“ She sighed and tried to form coherent thoughts as he sucked lightly on her pulse point, “I think it probably went more like this.”

Pushing her hands against his chest, she rolled them over so that she was on top of him and straddled his waist.

His eyebrows raised and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, “Okay.”

Teasingly, she pulled her dress up over her head while his hands came up to grip her waist and guide her movements as she rocked her hips lazily, seeking some friction to try and dull the aching need between her legs. His eyes darkened and she could feel every inch of him, his need matching hers. Tossing her dress to the floor, she made quick work of her bra as well before leaning down to kiss him, reminding herself of the way he tasted as he caught her bottom lip between his. His bare skin was warm against hers and she can feel his heart racing, keeping pace with her own. Their kisses deepened hungrily and she melted into his embrace, his hands running up and down her back.

“Felicity,” he sighed throatily, when they pulled apart to catch their breath and she ignored the way hearing him say her name like that prodded at the edge of her consciousness and threatened to make her remember that her excuse that this was just part of the mission was flimsy at best.

Sitting back up, she lightly scratched her nails across the sculpted muscles of his torso before trailing her fingers down the V that disappeared under the waistband of his boxers. She was about to slide them down his legs when his hands wrapped around her wrists to still her hands and she looked up at him with an eyebrow raised questionably.

“Not yet. You first.”

She clicked her tongue, “Uhh I’m pretty sure you did not want to participate in the brainstorming session about our fake love life so you don’t get a say in what happens with recreating our honeymoon sex.” He gave her a look that took her back to a million nights at training and she bit her lip, “But you know what, I like your idea so...”

He smirked and maneuvered them so that she was lying on her back again before nudging her legs apart. She let her head fall back against the pillows, her hands grasping at the sheets, as he gently traced patterns along the inside of her thighs and along her hip crease with his fingertips, building up the heat in her center torturously slow. She groaned impatiently and he dropped a kiss to the soft skin of her stomach just below her belly button before finally tugging her underwear down her legs. He glanced up at her through his thick eyelashes, the adoration in his gaze making her breath catch in her throat, before dipping his head down.

She wanted to scream, _“You can’t look at me like that and not want to be with me! It’s stupid and unfair!”_

Instead she closed her eyes and just focused on the way he was making her feel right now, letting everything else slip from her mind. She reached down to tangle her fingers through his hair, keeping him exactly where she needed him as her legs quivered and her hips jerked up at the sensations he was eliciting with his mouth. He had been clean shaven back when they were at training, but now his rough stubble scratched the delicate skin between her thighs and she bit her lip at the perfect combination of pleasure and pain.

“Oliver,” she whimpered, knowing that she was getting close to tumbling over the edge.

His right hand abandoned its grip on her thigh and his thumb made quick circles over her sensitive bundle of nerves, causing her toes to curl as every muscle in her body seemed to tense up, heat coursing through her, before she collapsed into the mattress.

When she finally opened her eyes, Oliver was hovering above her with his cheeks flushed and his hair a mess. The sight made her smile and she reached up to cup the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss. She felt him grind his hips against her and she groaned as her body anticipated what was coming next.

He kissed her cheeks and the tip of her nose, across her jawline and down her neck as if he was trying to re-memorize all the planes of her face after so many months apart. When his fingers tangled with hers though and he pushed her hands into the pillows surrounding her head, she could feel the cool metal of their wedding bands and it was a jolting reminder that this was all fake.

She tensed up and he must have sensed her hesitation because he pulled back, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

The real question was, _should_ she want this?

But it didn’t have to matter what she should or shouldn’t want, because right now she was someone else. And that someone else was certain of what she wanted to do with her husband on their vacation.

She nodded, “Yes. I’m sure.”

* * *

 

Felicity glanced over at the clock which flashed 4:30am and then over to Oliver sleeping next to her, the sheets bunched up around him sloppily, and she felt her chest tighten with the regret she had been dreading. She thought that she could just pretend that they were other people, that it was just part of the mission, and not let her emotions interfere, but who was she trying to fool? Undercover alias aside, it was still Oliver whose hands had caressed her skin. It was still Oliver whose kisses she could still feel, his soft lips and scruff that left marks on her body. It was still Oliver’s name that had tumbled from her lips as everything around them faded and pleasure flooded her body in waves.

It was still Oliver who had broken her heart.

She hated him, not because he was a jerk, but because even after everything, she still loved him. There was a part of her that was hoping that maybe what she had said last night might have changed his mind, but she was so afraid it hadn’t and she wasn’t ready for the fallout yet.

Getting out of bed, she slipped on her robe and grabbed her tablet before walking outside where the moon reflected radiantly in the calm ocean and the sky was freckled with stars. When she settled into one of the plush recliners on the deck, she unlocked her home screen to start going through the files she had transferred from Violet’s computer. There was more than enough to incriminate her and crumble her entire organization, but while Felicity would have thought she would be excited that her first major field assignment was going to be a success, she was hesitant to just turn all of this over to Waller and leave Violet’s fate to her.

She needed to be the one to confront her first.

Padding back into the room quietly, she put on some clothes and stepped out into the hallway. She didn’t have a plan, she wasn’t even sure if Violet was back from the hospital, let alone awake at—she glanced at the time on her phone before slipping it into her back pocket--- 5:42am. Now that she was out of the room though, she had no desire to go back and have to face Oliver yet.

She turned and had started wandering down an empty hallway when she started to feel like she was being followed. On edge, she quickened her steps and started to weave a complicated path through the estate in the hopes of shaking the feeling… or person. When she was pretty sure that she was close to making it back to her and Oliver’s suite where she could lock the door securely behind her, she heard loud footsteps followed by a resonating crack to her skull.

* * *

 

The room around her spun as she slowly regained consciousness, her head pounding with ache. When things finally started to become clearer, Violet and the large menacing man that she had seen before came into focus standing in front of the chair that she was secured to.

“Thank you Nolan, I will take things from here.”

Nolan nodded at Violet and left the room, leaving the two women alone.

“Violet?” Felicity inquired, her throat raspy.

“Who are you?” Violet asked, anger and hurt flashing in her eyes. “Really.”

Felicity sighed, “What do you mean?”

“You and your husband, if he’s even your husband, were found in my office last night and there was a security breach logged on my computer.”

Oliver. Felicity whipped her head around frantically, wondering if they had him tied up somewhere to.

“He’s still wherever you left him,” Violet answered her silent question. “For now. As long as you cooperate.”

On one hand that was a relief, but at the same time she would have appreciated not being alone in this situation.

“You know things you shouldn’t,” Violet continued. “So I’m going to ask again, who are you?”

If she would have known that this was going to end with her being kidnapped she might have been less reluctant to let Oliver tie Violet to a chair.

Felicity sat up as straight as she could with her head feeling like it weighed a ton and her arms awkwardly secured behind the chair, “What _do_ I know Violet?”

Impatience flickered across Violet’s face, “Don’t play games with me.”

Before she could say anything in response though, a loud thud came from outside the door and both her and Violet looked over as Oliver came storming into the room, Nolan’s body lying on the floor behind him.

Oliver’s eyes darted from her, bound in the chair, to Violet standing tensely across from her and growled, “What the hell is going on?”

Violet’s eyes widened and she squeaked out, “Please don’t hurt me.”

The tough and threatening façade that she had been wearing started to crumble and Felicity saw the young girl that she had seen with her siblings the night before.

“Then don’t move,” Oliver replied angrily, before turning and crouching down to cut her free. With his thumbs, he stroked the inside of her wrists gently where there were red imprints from her bindings and softly asked, “Are you okay?”

She nodded, “I’m fine. How did you find me?”

“When I woke up and you were gone, I tried to call you a few times but you didn’t answer. Your phone must be around here somewhere though. You were the one who taught me how to track the GPS, remember?”

She smiled weakly, “Oh yeah.”

Oliver returned her smile before helping her to her feet and returning his attention to Violet. “Sit,” he commanded, pointing at the chair that Felicity had just vacated.

Felicity felt a little shaky and she was pretty sure that she had a concussion so she leaned against the wall as she eyed Violet sink down into the chair with fear on her face. Oliver secured Violet and then took a step back, looking over and nodding at her to make the next move.

“How and why did you get involved in all of this?” she asked. “And don’t try to pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about, because I wouldn’t have been knocked unconscious and tied up in a closet over a security breach into a computer used for a luxury real estate development company.”

Violet was silent for a moment before her shoulders slouched and she let out a long defeated sigh.

“Things were rough when I was young. My dad was an addict who took out his anger at the world on his family and my mom wasn’t strong enough to leave him. One night, a few days before my 18th birthday, a group of men came to collect on some debts my dad owed and umm, my mom pushed us into a closet. There was a crack in the door though and it was just big enough, big enough to—“ Violet’s voice quivered slightly as she recounted, “I watched both of my parents get shot in the head and I couldn’t shield my siblings from the sight of their mother and father lying on our floor in a pool of blood as we made our way out of where we had been hiding. I crawled out of that hellhole and left any last trace of my childhood behind as I did _whatever_ was necessary to make sure that my brother and sister would never have to experience anything like that again.”

Felicity believed her and it made what her and Oliver were going to have to do as hard as she had feared. There had to be another way.

“I have worked hard to build all of this, and I won’t let you bring it crumbling down. I can’t,” Violet continued stubbornly.

“Too late for that,” Oliver remarked.

“You won’t even be able to leave this estate without my say,” she pointed out, some of her earlier confidence returning. “My men surround the place and they will detain you using whatever means necessary.”

“How will you explain a disturbance like that?” Oliver countered. “That’s not the kind of message you want to send to your other investors. They might start asking questions and then we won’t be your only concern.”

“You’re not just investors,” Violet ascertained. “Who do you work for? I thought I handled the CIA and FBI agents.”

“Luckily for you, we don’t work for the CIA or the FBI,” Felicity answered. “Which is why we might be able to make a deal with you.”

Oliver looked over at her in confusion so she tugged him out of earshot from Violet and held onto his arms to brace herself as her head started pounding again and the dizziness got worse.

“Look,” she whispered. “I was going through her files this morning. She has connections that Waller would kill for. Probably literally.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that ARGUS doesn’t play by the rules. We don’t always put the bad guys away, we use them. How is she any different than Lawton, or Quinn, or Harkness?”

Felicity could see the wheels turning in his head as he contemplated.

“You’re right,” he finally answered.

They turned back to Violet who was fidgeting nervously.

“As I was saying, we might be able to make a deal with you.”  

* * *

 

“Ms. Smoak, Mr. Queen,” Waller nodded at both of them when she stepped down onto the tarmac. “Good work. I will take things from here and see you both back at headquarters.”

After explaining to Violet who they really were, they extended an offer to work undercover for ARGUS instead of going to jail. She agreed on the conditions that she wouldn’t be separated from her siblings and that she would be allowed to continue the legal fronts of her business. It turned out that she didn’t really want to participate in the war profiteering anymore and her other investments were more lucrative anyway, but once you were involved, you couldn’t safely get out and she didn’t want to put her siblings at risk. ARGUS could provide the protection, and she could pass along information that they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise without her connections. Oh, and she also requested that she still be able to work towards her doctorate, because she was determined to find a way to help other children with rare strains of pneumonia like her younger sister. They had made contact with Waller and she had flown out immediately to meet with Violet, arriving in the middle of the night. During the time that they had spent waiting for her to fly in, Felicity had slept off the raging headache that she had from getting bludgeoned by Nolan and there had been little time for any sort of discussion between her and Oliver about their night together.

As they boarded the plane that Waller had just gotten off of to fly back home, Felicity was bracing herself for the inevitable. Settling down into the seat opposing Oliver, she fiddled with her engagement ring and wedding band before finally slipping them off and placing them on the table in between them.

“Well Mr. Callahan, we had a good run, the sex was great, but I think it’s time to call it quits,” she attempted to joke, not looking at him.

He took off his ring and sat it next to hers.

“Felicity?”

She glanced up at him.

“Do you want to go out to dinner with me when we get back to Starling?”

“What? Like dinner, as in a date?”

He nodded, a shy smile on his face, “Yeah.”

She leaned across the table, “How does that fit in with your whole ‘not wanting to be with someone you care about?’”

He leaned across the table as well, their faces only inches apart, “Well someone told me that I don’t always know what’s best, so I’m trying something a little different.”

“Hmmm. That someone seems pretty smart.”

He grinned, “Smartest girl I know.”

As much as she wanted to just put everything that had happened over the last year behind them and forgive him, she couldn’t just ignore the apprehension she felt over giving him her heart again.  

“You broke my heart Oliver,” she reminded him, drawing back a little bit.

He reached for her hands and took them in his, “I know, and I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you and I’m just asking for a second chance to make things right. Please.”

“We do make a pretty great team,” she muttered, fighting to keep a smile off of her face because she didn’t want to give into him so easily but at the same time knowing that she was going to say yes because this was what she wanted. She didn’t want to despise him. She didn’t want him to kiss anyone else. She didn’t want to spend another lonely night in her apartment.

“We do,” he echoed and lifted her hands up to brush his lips over her knuckles.

She sighed, “Alright. When we get back to Starling, we will have dinner. But jet lag, plus what I’m pretty sure is a concussion, means I’m not leaving my apartment.”

“I will get Big Belly Burger and we can eat it on your couch,” he offered.

“Throw in a pint of mint chip and you’ve got yourself a date.”

He laughed, “Okay.”

Leaning forward she pressed a quick kiss to his lips, their noses brushing against each other before she pulled back and smiled at him.

Things weren’t just going to go back to the way they used to be overnight, she needed time to fully trust him again after the pain he had caused her and there were still things they needed to talk about, like what they were going to do differently the next time one of them got an assignment that took them away for a year.

But this was a start.  

 


	2. Oliver's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So in reading your comments I realized that this story suffered a bit from a lack of Oliver's point of view and I wanted to write that for you to hopefully clarify where I was coming from regarding Oliver's words and actions when I was planning out the original story. The italicized portions are in Felicity's pov because they're taken directly from the first part just to give you context of what scene it's in since I jump around a bit. I didn't want to bore you with the entire story all over again just for a few portions that are different because they're from Oliver's perspective. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little peek inside Oliver's head and as always I would love to hear what you thought :)

_“Agent Queen,” a smooth, seductive voice drifted down the hallway and they both turned to see an agent peeking her head out of her office. “Do you have a minute to…” The agent caught sight of Felicity standing behind Oliver and she coughed awkwardly, “A minute to go over that… umm, disarming technique again that you were showing me earlier?”_

_Felicity refrained from rolling her eyes as she muttered, “Well I won’t hold you up any longer because it sounds like you have important work to do.”_

_A sheepish look appeared on his face and he ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah. Anyway, I guess I’ll see you around.”_

He watched her as she walked away, dread filling him and the self-loathing he had felt ever since he had his first experience with performing ARGUS’s aggressive style of interrogations, to put it mildly, reared its head.

He wished he could find the words to explain to her that she deserved better than him, but instead he knew he was just twisting the knife deeper.

And now they were somehow supposed to pretend to be married, in love. A task that would be far easier if he wasn’t trying so hard to ignore the real fact that he was very much in love with her.

“Oliver?”

He turned around and, remembering the situation he was presently in, shook his head.

Disappointment flashed across her face but it was quickly replaced with a look of understanding before she retreated back into her office. She was in a similar predicament as him. Hiding under her flirtatiousness was the guilt over the blood on her hands, the uncertainty that she could step back into the life she had once known, and the same desire for nothing from him but a distraction to dull the pain of having to push away a person she loved because she wasn’t the same person that they had fallen in love with.

It was easier to pretend with other people than to be with Felicity, the person who would see so easily through the mask, and he wanted more than anything to spare her from being dragged into his personal darkness. That didn’t mean it wasn’t torture to catch the look on her face out of the corner of his eye whenever she saw him with someone else. It was a bad habit he had fallen into in the two months since he had gotten back, going home with anyone who wouldn’t notice that he didn’t sleep, who wouldn’t ask any questions, wouldn’t care about him after he left in the morning.

It wasn’t what he had pictured for himself back at training, not even close. He had been planning on driving home from work with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding hers. Sitting in their bed and eating ice cream while watching those shows that he could care less about but she loved before he managed to make her forget all about what was on the screen. Making her breakfast in the morning before they headed to work. Walking to the little café down the street for lunch. Returning from being away on separate assignments and making up for all the time they lost…

He shook his head.

His plans hadn’t had any basis in the reality that he now had to accept.  

> **14 MONTHS AGO: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY**
> 
> Oliver shifted his duffel on his shoulder and cracked open the door. Peeking his head inside he saw that the room was dark except for some moonlight streaming in through the window blinds and illuminating her blonde hair fanned out across her pillow.
> 
> He was glad she was asleep, as that made his decision for him.
> 
> Since Waller had come to him earlier in the day and told him that he would be leaving that night for Hong Kong, he had been debating how best to break the news to her that he was leaving. He didn’t want to say goodbye, he had wanted time for them to get settled and figure out what their relationship was when they weren’t living in an environment that at times felt like summer camp, before either one of them had to leave on an assignment.
> 
> He also knew that it didn’t matter what he wanted. Waller called the shots and she wanted him in Hong Kong. She had made it crystal clear that he had no choice to do otherwise.
> 
> “See you soon Felicity,” he whispered, hoping it was true.
> 
> ***END OF FLASHBACK***

* * *

_Forty-five minutes later she emerged from the bathroom fairly impressed with the transformation she had managed to make. She was wearing the red backless dress and her hair was pinned up with a few loose curls framing her face. A strand of diamonds dripped down her back and a matching set of earrings made her eyes sparkle. Never in her life had she worn this much money and she felt like a Queen. Her eyes slid over to Oliver reclining on the sofa in his tux._

_Not that kind of Queen._

_“You ready to go?” she asked, reaching for her clutch and lipstick._

He looked up and tried his best to keep his face from betraying him as he took in her appearance. She looked beautiful and he couldn’t even find the words to reply to her, settling for a nod and what he was pretty sure came out as a flustered, acknowledging mumble. Reaching for his wedding band, he kept his eyes on her as she turned around and his breath caught in his throat resulting in a cough that he did his best to muffle.  

This was entirely unfair and he probably deserved it.

Her entire back was exposed, revealing her pale, soft skin that he had loved to caress, and she was wearing a necklace backwards so that the delicate strand of diamonds dipped low and led his eyes down to where the silky red fabric skimmed over her curves before pooling around her feet.

The metal of his wedding band felt cold against his skin and his chest tightened the way it had when he had first seen her wearing hers. When she had brought up the idea of them discussing how they would answer questions about themselves he had shut her down quickly because he couldn’t just talk about those things with her while knowing that none of it could ever be real. Staying as emotionless and detached as possible was the only way he was going to be able to get through this assignment without crumbling.

He was relieved when she turned back around before his mind could start to wander to what that dress would look like on the floor.

“Okay  _Mr. Callahan_ ,” Her emphasis on his alias firmly bringing him back to reality. “Let’s go mingle with some shady people.”

> **14 MONTHS AGO: ARGUS JET**
> 
> _Dear Felicity,_
> 
> _I’m not sure I’ll be able to actually get in touch with you while I’m on assignment but I’m going to write anyway because it makes it feel more like you’re here with me. Waller came to me a few days ago and told me that she had been looking over the reports for our class and she thought I would have a certain aptitude for the kind of work that needed to be done for this assignment. In true Waller fashion, she hasn’t filled me in yet on what exactly she means by that, or what I’m even doing for this assignment, which has me a little nervous. But this is what I signed up for when I decided to join ARGUS, right? I have a long flight ahead of me and then I’ll hopefully be receiving more details once I touch down in Hong Kong and get picked up by my handler. Whatever it is, I will do whatever it takes to get the job done quickly so I can come home to you. I’m sorry I won’t be around to help pick out our apartment but I know you will pick the perfect place and I really don’t care where I live as long as it’s with you babe._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Oliver_
> 
> He clicked his pen and closed his notebook, sliding them into his duffel bag before looking out the window at the night sky closing in around the plane. It wouldn’t be long before she woke up and discovered that he was gone. He hoped she wouldn’t be too angry, hoped she would understand, hoped it wouldn’t be long until he could return and make it up to her.
> 
> ***END FLASHBACK***

* * *

 

_She caught sight of a woman over his shoulder that she had noticed a few other times that evening, “Also that lady has been hard core checking you out all night.”_

_He glanced over his shoulder and the woman raised her glass of champagne slightly at him with a suggestive smile. Felicity suddenly felt a bit invisible… and mildly offended. Sure, she wasn’t actually Oliver’s wife, but the rings on her finger should have indicated otherwise to everyone there._

_When he turned back to her, he caught the end of her irritated eye roll._

_He raised an eyebrow, “Is that bothering you Mrs. Callahan?”_

_“On the contrary, I would be perfectly happy to have the suite all to myself tonight. Try to remember that we’re supposed to be married though and at least be a bit discrete. See you in the morning.”_

He should have been glad that she was irritated with him, that he had managed to push her affections away. He wanted her to realize that she deserved better than him.

But then he saw the expression on her face that she tried to hide as she turned away from him. An expression that didn’t match up with her flippant words and his chest ached as he watched the slight slump in her shoulders as she wove her way out of the foyer and towards the staircase.

Noticing out of the corner of his eye that the woman that she had pointed out had moved in closer at her departure, he took one last swig of his drink and made a swift exit from the bar without sparing her a second glance. That held absolutely no appeal to him even if it would be easier than a night in the room with Felicity.

He located an alternative staircase and quickly made his way back to the door of their suite. While he waited for Felicity to arrive, he fiddled with the cool metal of his wedding band.

Felicity deserved better than him, but for now, he was her husband. And the husband she deserved wouldn’t have his wife thinking for even a moment that he wanted to be anywhere else tonight but with her.  

> **14 MONTHS AGO: HONG KONG**
> 
> _Dear Felicity,_
> 
> _I met my handler Maseo, his wife Tatsu, and his son Akio yesterday. I also learned about Waller’s insurance policy. If I refuse any of her orders, she’ll have Maseo’s family killed. It puts an uneasiness between Maseo and I, the knowledge that I hold his family’s life in the palm of my hands and I know Tatsu hates me for my presence putting her son at risk. How they ended up in Waller’s clutches in the first place is a mystery. This is the side of ARGUS that they didn’t prepare us well enough for at training and I’m afraid of why she has to make such an ultimatum, what tasks are ahead of me that carry such weight and require such compliance. Right now I just feel like a gun that she can point at whomever she likes. Today I put a knife right through a man’s chest while he was eating an ice cream cone for no other reason except that I was told to. Maseo says it’s easier to not know the specifics of why we have to do things, that it’s not our place, and we should just focus on what’s most important. For him it’s his family, keeping me in line in order to keep them safe. For me it’s to get home to you as soon as possible._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Oliver_
> 
> He shut his notebook and glanced up to see Maseo and Tatsu talking in the kitchen. A rare smile was on Tatsu’s face as Maseo said something to her and it made his chest tighten with homesickness. He didn’t want Felicity to be here now, didn’t want her to have to see the side of him that had to shut his emotions off to be the cold killer that Waller needed, but he still ached to see her. Fumbling in his duffel bag, he found the wrinkled photo that he had stashed when he had quickly packed his few belongings the other night. He traced his fingers over the lines of her face, the little crinkles around her eyes and the dimples that came out when she grinned. It was one of the few photos that had been taken during training, from the night of a makeshift holiday party in the hallways of the dormitory, and he was glad to have it. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he slipped it back in his bag with his notebook and leaned back on his bed to stare at the ceiling.
> 
> ***END OF FLASHBACK***

* * *

 

_“Yeah this is definitely a different experience than Hong Kong,” Oliver muttered._

_A memory flashed through her mind that made her stomach turn and, setting her chopsticks down abruptly, she stood up, “I don’t think I can eat anymore so… I’m going to head to bed.”_

_Awkwardly, she started to gather up some of the dishes when Oliver grabbed her wrist gently, “I’m sure housekeeping will take care of that.”_

_She shook her head, “Oh yeah. Right. Well, umm goodnight.”_

_He released her wrist, “Goodnight Felicity, I’ll be inside in a minute.”_

He sat out on the deck for a few more minutes after she slipped through the door, staring at the sky and giving her time to get settled. She was upset and it was clear that she didn’t want him to see. He wished she could know how much this was hurting him too, to have a taste of what he had always wanted with her knowing that it was all pretend. And that’s all it could ever be. For a moment he considered sleeping on one of the large couches outside, but the pull to be close to her won out and he padded inside. After brushing his teeth, he approached the bed quietly and climbed in next to her. There was only about a foot between them but it felt like a mile and he wished he could pull her against his chest, wrap her up in his arms and rub comforting circles on her back until they both fell asleep. Instead he balled his hands into fists and prepared himself for a long night.

When he awoke in the morning he was startled to realize that not only had he fallen asleep, he had stayed asleep. Usually any sleep he managed to get was riddled with nightmares that jolted him awake with silent screams and a racing heartbeat. He scanned the room and saw Felicity leaning up against the door frame looking out at the beach with a mug of something in her hand and her hair in a sloppy bun on top of her head. Calm settled over him that he hadn’t felt in a long time and for a moment he let himself be in a world where there was no reason for him to have nightmares, because those horrific events hadn’t occurred, and he was just waking up to a day with nothing to do but spend the hours with the woman he loved.

“Good morning,” he mumbled sleepily and she turned to him, the small smile she gave him making his heart feel like it was going to burst out of his chest.

“Oh good, you’re awake. Wait until you hear what I found out last night. Do you want to go for a run? There were people running on the beach earlier and I thought that might be nice and I can fill you in while we run as long as you promise not to go too fast because I know you’re faster than me…”

The rest of her ramble was drowned out by the sound of reality crashing back in on him like a wave. Somehow he ended up dressed and with his sneakers on before trailing her down to the beach, refocusing himself on the assignment. The sooner they started making some progress the sooner they could stop having to keep up this charade that was a slow torture.

> **10 MONTHS AGO: HONG KONG**
> 
> _Dear Felicity,_
> 
> He stared at the piece of paper blankly, unsure of how to even begin to describe the events of the day. He had washed his hands countless times and he still felt like there was blood ingrained in every groove of his fingerprints. Their investigation of the Triad had brought an associate of Chien Na Wei into their custody and it had been his duty to obtain information from him.
> 
> He tried again to put words on the page.
> 
> _Today I…_
> 
> Today he had tortured a man.  
> 
> The man’s anguished cries still filled his mind hours later and he didn’t know how he could tell her about it. She would surely think him a monster. After all, that was how he was beginning to see himself. How else could he have conducted such cruelty? It was one thing to have killed the many men that he had since being in Hong Kong, but torture, inflicting pain while withholding the sweet release that death would be, was different.
> 
> He tried to convince himself that he had only done it because he had to, for Maseo and Tatsu and Akio’s sake. But what did Waller see in him that made her certain that he was the right man for this assignment in the first place? Would he have followed her orders even without the threat hanging over the Yamashiros because he was cold hearted enough to do whatever was necessary regardless of the blood spilled?
> 
> And if he was that cold hearted…
> 
> _Today I tortured a man. Inflicting the pain necessary to finally break him. To get from him what Waller needed. While I was doing it, I couldn’t think of anything but how to make him hurt so badly that he would fear me more than anyone in the Triad. And I was successful. I’m good at torturing people Felicity, and that scares me._ _I know that this is what I signed up for and I still believe that we’re doing what is necessary to deal with extreme threats, but it was easy to ignore the realities of this job and what it would require of me when I was back at training and it still felt almost like a game. I’m afraid I’m going to come home and you’re not going to recognize me anymore. That I will have lost the parts of me that you loved because I had to cut away at them to be Waller’s tool._
> 
> …And if he was that cold hearted how could he love Felicity as much as she deserved?
> 
> _I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be here. It could be days, could be months. I just hope that whoever comes home is still someone that deserves to come home to you. Because I miss you, I miss you so much and I wish that there was a way to tell you that than in these letters you’ll probably never read. I wish I could make you promises, promises that everything is going to go back to the way it was before and we’ll have the life we had planned, and be able to keep those promises. But I just don’t know anymore. I am certain of one thing, that I love you. It’s just that maybe you deserve better than to be a woman that I love._
> 
> He scratched his name to end the letter and closed the notebook that was beginning to have more filled pages than empty ones. His writing was one of the few things that was keeping him sane, connected to her, but the longer he was here the harder it was getting to avoid the darkness pressing in around him. The letters in the beginning weeks had contained more optimism, optimism that he now saw as naivety.
> 
> ***END OF FLASHBACK***

* * *

 

_“But I am so, so lonely because the person I wanted to go home with at night, who I could be honest with and who could understand what my life is like, left without a trace and came back someone I didn’t even recognize. And now I find out he had decided what was best for me? Well guess what, he was wrong!”_

_“Felicity…” he began, and she shook her head._

_“No. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Not tonight. You’ve made yourself clear and we have an assignment to focus on.”_

_Closing the distance she had created between them, she rested her hands on his chest and her engagement ring sparkled under the dimmed lights in their suite._

_“And, as undercover agents masquerading as a married couple, we really could step up our game a bit.” She slid her hands down to fiddle with the hem of his shirt and tilted her head inquisitorially, “Don’t you think?”_  

His head was spinning. Everything he had resolutely convinced himself of over the past months, she had just made him doubt. And now she was touching him and he couldn’t even properly sort through everything because every neuron in his brain was being flooded with her.

Which he supposed was the point.

Because she wanted them to ignore everything that had just been exchanged, ignore that they were Oliver and Felicity for the night. Be the people they were pretending to be instead of the ones who had too many reasons not to do this right now.

His lips were still burning from the kiss they had shared earlier and he could feel himself being drawn into her involuntarily.

He took a step back and turned away from her so that he could clear the fog over his mind. He couldn’t do this. This was just going to hurt her even more. She couldn’t really want this.

_You think you always know best, don’t you?_

He whirled around and scooped her up, relishing the feel of her in his arms as he walked her over to the bed. Once he had deposited her gently on the mattress, her golden hair fanned out around her and her cheeks flushed, he hastily removed his shoes and shirt and pants before adding her shoes to the pile on the floor. He crawled onto the bed, sliding his hand up her leg and pushing her dress along with it to reveal more of her soft skin as he came to hover over her. Reaching out, he brushed her hair out of her face and leaned his head down to whisper in her ear.

“If we’re really going to commit to our cover story, you should probably fill me in on what happened in the Planetarium Suite…”

He wouldn’t admit that he had googled the resort she had discussed with Violet, the one she had picked for “their honeymoon.” Wouldn’t admit that he had let himself imagine what had happened on that expansive bed under the ceiling made to look like the night sky.

“Good thinking. Someone must have been at the top of his class,” she replied, bringing a smile to his face as he kissed her neck.

It was better than what he had imagined, what transpired next.

Every kiss, every touch, her sweet taste, the way she said his name. Even though they were pretending to be something they weren’t, it was still realer than any of those nights he had spent twisted in other people’s sheets because there was no need to fake how much he wanted her. It took him back to a time when he was unbroken, before he had been dragged too far into the darkness to still be loved by her.

There had been a moment where he had sensed hesitation from her and it pulled him out of the dream-like bubble that surrounded them.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

He still wasn’t sure how she possibly could, how she could still want him after everything. The two seconds that he waited for her answer might as well have been hours with the way they seemed to drag on.

Finally, with certainty on her face that filled him with relief, she nodded, “Yes. I’m sure.”

It had been two months since he had returned from Hong Kong, but with his eyes locked on hers and the rhythm of her heartbeat matching his, he felt for the first time like he was finally home.

> **2 MONTHS AGO: STARLING CITY ARGUS HEADQUARTERS**
> 
> Oliver took his first steps into the gleaming halls of the Starling field office and was immediately met with a familiar laugh filling the air. A longing ache filled his chest at the sound but he ducked out of sight as she walked past with another agent. She looked happy. Pure sunshine had always seemed to radiate from her and it hadn’t seemed to have dimmed.
> 
> He hadn’t told her that he was back yet.
> 
> As the final letter he had written to her, filling the final page of his notebook, burned in his mind, he knew he wasn’t ready to face her.
> 
> _Dear Felicity,_
> 
> _Akio is dead. We were too late to stop the virus from taking victims and he was one of them. Rage filled me. Rage like I have never experienced before. Tatsu said that Akio loved me, that I was his friend. And I let him die. I couldn’t save him. So in my anger and grief I let the monster that had been creeping at the edge of my soul for months overtake me. I made sure that General Shrieve felt the pain that he had caused the Yamashiros. For hours I tortured him, keeping him just barely alive. Alive enough to bleed, to hurt, to scream until he finally slipped unconscious. He got the justice he deserved, I made sure of it. Tatsu and Maseo finally found me sitting in a puddle of his blood, watching as he clung to the last vestiges of his life with not an ounce of remorse in me. Tatsu said that what I did was horrible, that I allowed myself to become a monster. I didn’t need her confirmation to know that it was true. A monster can’t love you Felicity, not in the way you deserve. I can’t just come home to you and act like nothing has changed. As much as it pains me, I know I have to let you go. I don’t know how… how I’m going to see you every day and act like it’s not killing me to not be with you. But I just can’t bring this darkness into your life. I don’t think I can ever be with anyone that I really care about. I’m so sorry._
> 
> _Oliver_
> 
> He was going to have to push her away in the way he knew best and it tore at his heart, but he hoped that one day she would understand.
> 
> Putting on a metaphorical mask, all easy smooth smiles and flirtatious eyes, to hide the storm that was brewing inside of him, he strode over to a woman who had been looking in his direction with interest.
> 
> “Agent Queen. Nice to meet you.”
> 
> ***END OF FLASHBACK***

Oliver awoke the next morning to an empty bed. He extended an arm hoping to find soft, warm skin and instead only found cold sheets.

She had been gone for a while.

Panic filled him as he contemplated a million possible scenarios but he willed himself to remain calm and emotionless and handle the situation the way he would with anyone else.

There was no reason to assume the worst first. Last night had been… intense. It was possible that she just needed some space. He hauled himself out of bed and quickly pulled on some clothes before checking all the rooms of the suite and the outdoor terrace.

No sign of her.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed her number and waited while it rang. And rang. And rang.

He slipped out into the hallway and walked around the quiet estate for a few minutes before trying her phone again. Still no answer.  If she could answer it, she would have. Regardless of what happened last night, they were on assignment and she wouldn’t act unprofessionally.

He sped back to their room and pulled out his computer, racking his brain to try and remember the skill he had taught her what felt like ages ago back at training. Finally, he had pinged her phone’s GPS and was relieved to see that it was at least still in the estate.

He took off in the direction of the glowing dot, hoping that she was okay. When he made it to the location where her phone supposedly was, he spotted Violet’s henchman posted outside of a door.

That couldn’t be good.

Not even giving the man time to register his presence, he had him lying unconscious on the floor and forced open the door. When he entered the room he saw Felicity bound to a chair and Violet standing facing her. Felicity looked a little pale but he could see the visible relief on her face at his arrival.

“What the hell is going on?” he growled.

Violet’s eyes widened and she squeaked out, “Please don’t hurt me.”

“Then don’t move,” he replied irritably before turning to Felicity. He needed to stay calm, not let the side of himself that he was afraid of emerge. He crouched down and cut her free from her bindings, stroking the painful looking red marks on her wrists soothingly. “Are you okay?”

She nodded reassuringly and he felt his anger ease as she responded, “I’m fine. How did you find me?”

“When I woke up and you were gone, I tried to call you a few times but you didn’t answer. Your phone must be around here somewhere though. You were the one who taught me how to track the GPS, remember?”

She smiled weakly, “Oh yeah.”

* * *

 

_As they boarded the plane that Waller had just gotten off of to fly back home, Felicity was bracing herself for the inevitable. Settling down into the seat opposing Oliver, she fiddled with her engagement ring and wedding band before finally slipping them off and placing them on the table in between them._

_“Well Mr. Callahan, we had a good run, the sex was great, but I think it’s time to call it quits,” she attempted to joke, not looking at him._

In the time that she had spent sleeping off her headache, he had done some thinking. She had handled the situation with Violet brilliantly, he didn’t know why he was surprised. It reminded him how smart she was, how perceptive, how compassionate. Why in the world he thought he was more capable of making decisions about her life than she was seemed completely idiotic now. He didn’t know if she still wanted him, wanted the broken remains of the man that she had first fallen in love with, but he did know that he missed her. Working with her had reminded him of all the plans they had made together and maybe they weren’t as impossible as he thought. If he still was capable of loving her as deeply as he did, maybe he wasn’t completely the monster he feared he was. Regardless, she deserved to be the one to make the decision of what she wanted.

He took his ring off and sat it next to hers. It was time to call it quits on their fake relationship, but he was hoping that it wasn’t too late to turn over a new page on their real one. He was jittery with nerves as he worked up his courage.

“Felicity?”

She glanced up at him.

“Do you want to go to dinner with me when we get back to Starling?”

A mix of confusion and surprise flashed across her face, “What? Like dinner, as in a date?”

He nodded, unable to hide the shy smile turning up the corners of his mouth, “Yeah.”

* * *

 

He shifted his feet nervously as he waited outside her door. They had said goodbye at the ARGUS hanger a little less than 2 hours ago, and he had spent every second since then worried that she would change her mind about agreeing to dinner. But the call or text had never come and now he was standing with a bag of Big Belly Burger takeout and a carton of her requested mint chip.

The door finally swung open and she stood there in her worn out MIT sweatshirt with the hole that he had accidentally ripped in the hem around the neck and smiled at him, “Come on in.”

He followed her into the dimly lit living room as she babbled, “I hope you don’t mind how dark it is. I did a little googling on concussions, which apparently I was not supposed to do because electronics are a no-no when you’re trying to recover which means I might actually die from this concussion because how am I supposed to survive without screens, but anyway, the bright lights were just giving me a headache so…”

He chuckled softly, “It’s fine. This is a nice place.”

A frown appeared on her face and she turned her head away from him before whispering, “I picked it out for us.”

Setting the food down, he strode over to her and cupped her face in his hands, “I’m sorry I screwed things up.”

She shrugged dismissively, not quite meeting his eyes, “It was partially Waller’s fault. And you already apologized.”

“Not even close to being done,” he vowed, brushing a kiss to her forehead.

Her smile returned and she reached around to rub his back, “I’m not going to be at work for a few days. Not until this concussion is healed.”

“You think I could play hooky with you?”

“Nuh-uh, someone’s going to have to do all of the post-op paperwork,” she reminded him teasingly.

He groaned, “Maybe I should have let Nolan hit me over the head too.”

She pinched his side, “Then we might be tied up in a basement right now.”

“True. And I don’t think they would be feeding us Big Belly Burger.”

“Ohh speaking of…” She detached from him and walked over to where he had deposited the food. “I am starving.”

After they had eaten, he could see the sleepiness in her eyes and he knew that she needed rest. Talking could come later. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to say all the things he thought needed to be said but he would figure it out.

She yawned, “Well I should probably head to bed. The past 48 hours have been, well, a lot and add the concussion on top of that…”

“Sleep will be good,” he finished for her.

“Yeah,” she confirmed before fiddling with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “Umm… do you think you could stay? According to the doctor who checked me out when we landed, I’m not really supposed to be alone in the 24 hours after a head trauma in case something happens so…”

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, “No place I’d rather be.”

She sighed in relief, “Okay. Thank you.”

“Should I just…” he gestured to the couch, unsure of what exactly she meant by staying with her.

She hopped off the couch and tugged on his hand, “No c’mon. You can’t properly supervise me from out here.”

He let him lead her back to her bedroom, the bedroom that she had intended to be theirs he thought with a skip of his heart.

They settled into bed, and unlike the first night in Bali where there had felt like miles between them, he was able to pull her into his chest like he had wanted to then. He heard a sigh of contentment slip from her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and ran his hands up and down her back.

“If I’m not here when you wake up it’s because I had to leave for work, okay?”

“Okay. I should probably call you though to check and make sure you’re not tied to a chair somewhere. Just in case,” she mumbled sleepily.

He chuckled softly, “Good plan. Then you can tell me what you want me to stop and get for you on my lunch break.”

“Mmm,” she hummed in acknowledgment. “Goodnight Oliver.”

“Goodnight Felicity.”

* * *

 

“Agent Queen… no longer a married man so what do you sa--- wait a second, is that a real smile on your face?” A hint of amusement was on her face as she approached him in the hallway.

“You should call your ex-fiancé.”

She swallowed in surprise, and an expression appeared on her face that he had seen many times in his own reflection.

“You know I can’t,” she whispered.

“I know why you think you can’t. But I also know that he probably misses you. And you still love him.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, “Trust me, you should call him.”

“You and Felicity… did you…”

He nodded, “She was angry, she yelled a lot, and I need to work to earn her trust back. But it’s ultimately her decision if she wants to trust me again. I realized I can’t make choices regarding her life for her. And you can’t make decisions for him. Despite everything you think you can’t be forgiven for, you deserve more than whatever we were doing, we both do.”

“I am tired of being called Felicity,” she remarked, a teasing smile appearing on her face.

“It happened once,” he replied defensively. “But you see my point.”

“Yeah. I’ll call him. Thank you.” She turned and headed off towards her office, before calling back, “And it was at least twice Agent Queen. Twice.”

He cringed and made his way to his own office, avoiding a group of agents that in the past he would have stopped to flirt with and realizing that he had his work cut out for him to not make Felicity seem like the next in a line of many. His doubts that he actually deserved her started to creep in again when his phone started ringing and he saw her name flashing on the screen.

“Hey.”

“Oh good, you haven’t been kidnapped.”

“Not yet,” he replied in a amusement. “How’s your head feeling this morning?”

“Foggy.”

“That’s expected though, right?”

“Oh yeah. The doctor said it could be a few weeks before I feel fully back to normal.”

“What can I get for you when I stop by at lunch? I mean, if you want me to stop by…”

“Of course I do. Hmmm… can you stop by the coffee shop by work? Just tell the blonde girl who works the counter that you’re getting Felicity’s drink. She’ll know.”

He laughed, “Okay. Anything else?”

“One of the cinnamon swirl muffins that they have.”

“Got it. See you in a few hours.”

She said goodbye and he hung up as he eased into his desk chair. An idea struck him, and unlocking one of his drawers he found what he was looking for buried underneath stacks of papers.

* * *

 

“One chai latte and a cinnamon swirl muffin,” he announced, holding the cup and little paper bag out to her.  

She accepted them and brushed a kiss against his cheek, “Thank you. What’s that?”

He held up the tattered notebook, “This is for you too.”

Her brow furrowed and he explained, “I’m not ready to talk about what happened in Hong Kong. Not yet. But this… I wrote you letters while I was there.”

Her eyes widened, “Oh.”

“You don’t have to read them,” he added hastily. “I just, if you want to, I want you to be able to understand why I thought I couldn’t be the guy for you anymore.”

She narrowed her eyes, “You don’t still think that though, right?”

He smiled sadly, “It’s up for you to decide. It’s the choice I should have let you make two months ago.”

“Well, I am going to read this once words don’t look so blurry anymore. Not so that I can judge you for the things you had to do, but so I can be there for you when you’re ready to talk about it. I made my decision a while ago that you’re the guy for me Oliver. Despite what you think, I still look at you and see the man that I loved.” She patted his cheek, “Maybe a little more grown up and handsome looking though.”

He smiled bashfully and leaned into her touch.

“Things aren’t just going to go back to the way they were,” she continued. “I need time to process everything. But I want to. I still want all those things we talked about. And I _really_ want to work together again sometime soon. Do you think Waller will assign us as a team again?”

He thought of the email that he had read before leaving to grab her lunch, “Probably sooner than you think.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes... I left this a bit open ended, didn't I? ;)


	3. Bonus Scene #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of my Olicity Fanfiction Countdown to Christmas on tumblr... Prompt: “I slipped on ice outside your house and you ran out barefoot to help me quick let’s get inside under a blanket”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys so as part of my fic countdown, there are going to be some bonus scenes getting added to this 'verse. This one takes place after Oliver and Felicity's first meeting at training but... before what happened in the shower flashback. Enjoy!

***LOCATION: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY***

Her breath formed a cloud in the cold winter air as she made the final turn towards the dormitory building. After arriving at training she had quickly discovered that she wasn’t on the same level as most of the other trainees physically and she had been trying her best to close the gap. There’s only so much her superior IQ could do for her if she was in a situation where she just needed to be able to run faster than the person chasing her.

With the large brick building in sight, she sped up her pace to get out of this chill as quickly as possible. Before she knew what was happening, her foot slid on a patch of ice and she felt herself flying through the air. She landed with a painful thud and cringed at the thought of the bruises that were going to show up on her fair skin.

Gingerly, she attempted to stand up when she heard the door of the dormitories slam.

“Felicity? Are you okay?”

Looking up, she saw Oliver coming towards her with a concerned look on his face and… no shoes on his feet.

Not even socks.

“Are you insane?” She chastised him with her loud voice. “You’re going to get frostbite and die!”

“Huh?” He looked down at his feet. “Oh. I just saw you fall from my window and I didn’t really think about shoes I just…”

She rolled her eyes and held out her hand so he could help her up. “I’m fine, so run inside before you freeze. I’ll be right behind you.”

He obliged and she watched him wince with every quick step he took across the icy road. Shaking her head, she carefully made her way to the door to avoid slipping again. Now that she had stopped running and spent some time sitting on a patch of ice, a shiver went through her and she was eager to get warmed up.

Oliver was waiting for her just inside the entryway and she grabbed his arm to drag him towards the stairs and up to her room.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I have a heated blanket,” she answered simply.

Instructing him to have a seat on her bed, she plugged in her blanket and tossed it to him so that he could warm up. 

“You really didn’t need to run outside to help me, I was fine,” she pointed out, stripping off her sweatshirt.

“No offense, but it wasn’t exactly a graceful fall, so I wasn’t very confident that you were fine.”

She narrowed her eyes at him before pulling off her leggings, which were cold and damp from the ice she had sat in, and examining her thighs in the mirror, ignoring the choking sound coming from him behind her as she stood in her t-shirt and tiny pair of underwear.

“Just a few bruises.” She shrugged, “No big deal. How are your feet?”

“I---“ He dragged his eyes up to meet hers. “I can feel them now, so I guess that’s an improvement.”

She sat down beside him, being careful to leave an appropriate distance so her thigh wasn’t pressed up against his, and pulled the blanket over herself as well, letting the warmth seep into her cold skin.

“You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?” she prompted. Since the night they had first talked in the training room, he had been trailing her like a puppy. When he walked in on her in the gym late one night struggling on the pull-up bar he hadn’t made any condescending comments, just showed up every night after it to train with her in silence. In return she had taught him a few tech tricks and they were both advancing up the leader board for their class.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the one who dragged me into your room and then proceeded to take your clothes off,” he pointed out and she shoved his shoulder.

“I was only trying to make sure you didn’t lose your feet due to frostbite.”

“So this isn’t a seduction attempt?” he asked faux-seriously.

She frowned and crossed her arms across her chest, “I didn’t come here to find a boyfriend.”

“Well to be fair, you didn’t know I was going to be here,” he teased.  

That… was true. And it wasn’t like she didn’t like him. He had been the first one to recognize her abilities and make an effort to be her friend. She had only been shrugging off his recent attempts to push past friendship because she didn’t need any distractions. This was supposed to be a fresh start for her and she was so afraid that if she got too close to anyone she was going to end up in a mess like she had been at MIT. It didn’t matter that this could be different, that _he_ was different because history always had a way of repeating itself… right?

At her silence, he continued, just barely concealing the disappointment in his eyes, “I’m just messing with you Felicity. If you want me to leave you alone, I will.”

He started to stand up and her hand shot out to hold his thigh in place.

“No that’s not—“ She sighed, “I don’t want you to leave me alone and umm… thank you, for coming outside to check on me. It could have been a lot worse, I could have hit my head or something and I might have needed someone.”

“You’re welcome.” He tipped his head, “Thank you for warming me back up. The striptease definitely helped.”

“Oliver!” When he pushed him over in annoyance, he pulled her down with him and she found herself hovering over top of him with their faces just a little too close. Her eyes flickered across every tiny freckle dotting his nose before honing in on his own eyes that had gone from their normal brilliant blue to a shade darker and she unwittingly licked her lips.

“Hey Felicity do you have some coffee creamer I can—oh…”

Felicity looked up to see her friend who lived across the hall standing in the doorway with a surprised expression on her face.

“This is not what it looks like,” she blurted out, returning to a seated position rapidly. “I fell outside on the ice and Oliver came out to help me except he was barefoot so obviously he was going to get frostbite or something if he didn’t warm up quickly so I leant him my heated blanket and he was—“

“Just leaving,” Oliver concluded, standing up from her bed.

Her friend looked back and forth between them skeptically, “Gotcha… so, coffee creamer?”

“Uh, yeah,” she hopped up and walked over to her mini fridge to pull out the carton. When she turned around, Oliver was slipping out the door and her eyes lingered on him for a second before handing off the creamer.  


	4. Bonus Scene #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of my Olicity Fanfiction Christmas Countdown... prompt: I can't help it I want a mistletoe kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another bonus scene from their time at training and takes place after the previous scene in Felicity's room but still before the flashback to the scene in the shower. Enjoy!

***LOCATION: CLASSIFIED ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY***

Her head tilted to the side as she watched, completely mesmerized.

“Felicity?”

She blinked, “Huh?”

He dropped from the salmon ladder and she pretended to be very focused on stretching out her hamstrings. Ever since their almost… _something_ , the other day in her room, she had been finding herself more and more distracted by him.

Which is exactly what she had been trying to avoid.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement, “I was asking you if you had heard about the Christmas party.”

“Holiday party,” she corrected. “And yes.”

When she didn’t elaborate any further, he added, “Are you going?”

She shrugged, “Maybe.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to get a definitive answer from her, he changed the subject, “I noticed you were lifting heavier weight than usual tonight, your hard work is really starting to pay off. Pretty soon you’re going to be giving me a run for my money for top spot in the class.” 

She flexed her arm, “That’s right. So watch your back.”

He laughed before walking towards the exit of the gym, leaving her alone to finish up her stretching and make up her mind about whether or not she was going to attend tomorrow night’s party.

_Oh please. You know full well that you’re going to that party._

* * *

 

Smoothing her hands over the black fabric, she inspected her reflection in the mirror. It had been a long time since she had worn something other than work-out clothes or their standardized uniforms.

“Damn girl,” Her roommate muttered when she peeked her head into the bathroom and she startled.

“Oh! I uhh—“ she blushed and straightened her glasses nervously. “Is this too much?”

The dress was one she had bought on a whim and, with triangular cutouts around the waist, an almost completely open back, and a deep v neckline, it was definitely a dress for getting noticed in.

Not that she was trying to get noticed by anyone… in particular.

“No, you look amazing. Don’t you dare change.” She ducked out, presumably to finish getting dressed herself, and Felicity turned her attention back to the mirror to curl her hair.

When she was satisfied with the soft waves framing her face, she applied her lipstick and grabbed her things to head out into the hallway where people were already starting to gather. The administration certainly didn’t bother with something as unnecessary as celebrations, but a few trainees had decided that they all needed a little holiday fun after weeks of grueling training and thrown the party together. A fairly impressive party, she had to admit as someone handed her a flute of champagne and she made her way through clusters of people who had like her taken advantage of the opportunity to wear something nice for once.

She told herself she wasn’t looking for him, but her eyes were definitely seeking out a certain familiar face.

Halfway down the crowded hallway, she found herself standing in front of him, dressed in black pants and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and she felt very warm all of a sudden.

“Hey… whoa.” His eyes widened and she watched his eyes fall down her body before snapping back up to meet her gaze. His voice was a little breathy when he continued, “You decided to come.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t want you to be bored without me,” she replied, patting his chest and trying to keep herself composed despite whatever was crackling in the air between them.

_Uh, pretty sure that’s called unresolved sexual tension_.

What would be the harm in just… getting him out of her system tonight?

_Because you know it’s so not going to work like that with the feelings you have for him._

Thankfully a few friends from their class approached them and she was able to put a little bit of comfortable distance between herself and him as they all talked. It wasn’t until later when they were gathered around a crowded table of people watching and playing blackjack that she found herself in close proximity to him again. They sat next to each other and it took a ridiculous amount of effort for her to focus on the cards and not how good he smelled or how if she was any closer to him she would be in his lap.

“So… you’re good at this,” he huffed in frustration as another large stack of chips were pushed towards her.

“I’m a Vegas girl, of course I am.”

Shaking his head, amusement lighting up his eyes, he took a swig of his drink and she winked at him.

Casually, she rested her hand on his thigh and leaned in close to whisper, “Maybe someday I’ll teach you my secret.”

When she retracted her hand, she hid a self-satisfied smile at the way he exhaled loudly.

She didn’t know what she was doing, flirting with him like this, but the party atmosphere was making it easy to forget her reservations to opening herself up to the possibility of a relationship with someone here.

_Well try harder to remember them before you get yourself in trouble, okay?_

After he had finally admitted defeat in blackjack, they wandered down the hallway a bit talking about holiday traditions at their respective homes before being stopped by one of their classmates who had been acting as photographer for the night.

“Hey, you guys look great! Can I get a picture?” she asked, holding up her camera.

Before she could say anything, Oliver was snaking an arm around her and nodding at the girl, “Sure.”

Quickly, she looked down in surprise at his hand on her waist, carefully positioned to only be touching fabric and not the expanse of skin exposed by the cutouts in her dress and yet somehow still feeling like it was burning her, before looking back up. Smiling brightly as the picture was snapped, she made a mental note to track her down later and ask for a copy.

Because when she graduated and their class scattered across the world, she was going to want to have pictures of herself and the _friends_ she made at training.

When the photographer moved on to the next group of people, Oliver untangled himself from her and she stifled a sound of protest at the chill that replaced the warmth from his body. They continued on their walk down the hallway until they were alone except for a lone sprig of mistletoe that someone had suspended from the ceiling to catch unsuspecting people, _who were trying really hard to keep things in the platonic friend zone_ , off-guard. Their eyes flicked up to it at the same time and she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip.

He turned to her and she could see the question written all over his face as his gaze dropped to her mouth.

_Oh, what could it hurt? Mistletoe kisses don’t technically even count, right?_

She took a little step closer to him and slid her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders. He dipped his head and lingered with his lips still a few inches from hers, waiting for her. Rolling up on her toes, she closed the distance and her eyes fluttered shut as she slanted her mouth against his. Everything would have probably been fine if she would have just pulled back after she left herself have the smallest taste, but his mouth was so soft and addicting and she found herself unable to stop kissing him. He returned her eagerness by banding his arms around her waist to lift her up slightly and press her body into his, the soft moan parting her lips at the sudden contact allowing him to deepen the kiss. Eventually, she had to pull herself away just to catch her breath. Her chest was heaving, her heart racing furiously, as his fingers gently stroked the bare skin on her lower back she took in his appearance through her fogged up glasses; flushed cheeks, her lipstick smudged around his mouth, and dark, hooded eyes that were filled with desire.

She swallowed and licked her lips, “So… that was... wow.”

_Maybe this isn’t as bad of an idea as you had convinced yourself... or you’re just really turned on and rational thought has completely left the building. Either way—_

He pressed a kiss to her cheek before beginning to whisper in her ear, “Do you wa—”

“Yep,” she answered before he could even finish asking.   

\--either way, tonight she was going to let herself be… _distracted._

But just this once.

Just… once. 

_Okay sure, good luck with that._


	5. Bonus Scene #3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of my countdown to Christmas on tumblr... prompt: first Christmas post-fic or Christmas on a mission. Or both!

“I still can’t believe you had one conversation with this couple and somehow got us invited to the Swiss Alps for the holidays,” Oliver remarked as they settled into their seats inside an ARGUS jet.

“Well your _wife_ is quite charming,” Felicity pointed out, pulling a box out of her jacket pocket. “Can’t forget these, since technically they invited Mr. and Mrs. Callahan and not _us_ , us.”

She handed him his wedding band and slipped her own rings on before intertwining her fingers with his and settling their hands on her lap.

“We really lucked out, that out of everyone in our report from Bali, these two were the ones who got flagged for suspicious activity when ARGUS ran backgrounds. There’s no other way that Waller would be letting us take them up on their invitation,” Oliver remarked.

She gave him a sheepish grin, “Well…”

He raised an eyebrow, “You were the one who red flagged them, weren’t you?”

“Possibly… maybe… yes. I just really wanted to go on a vacation that didn’t involve me getting tied up in a closet and, who knows, we might discover something suspicious while we’re there…”

“You could get in huge trouble if someone finds out,” he pointed out warily.

“Oh please, we both know that no one is going to find out. I’m a computer ninja, completely untraceable,” she assured him and he shook his head in amusement.

He lifted their hands up to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles, “I don’t doubt you.”

“Everything else I thought of to get you for Christmas seemed kind of lame compared to a trip to the Swiss Alps so…”

“I would be happy to spend the holidays with you just about anywhere, especially considering I was alone last year, but I certainly won’t complain about Switzerland.” 

Barring last year, she had always associated the holiday season with good memories. After all, their first kiss had happened under mistletoe and that had led to…

***ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY: CLASSIFIED LOCATION***

> “That was… a one-time thing,” she clarified as she hastily attempted to get her dress back on, getting her arm tangled in one of the cut-outs.
> 
> He hopped up from his bed and silently helped her configure her dress before easing up the zipper in the back.
> 
> “I mean, it was amazing,” she continued. “But I can’t— it can’t happen again because…” She tried to decide how much she was comfortable with telling him about what had happened in college. “It’s just that the last time I was in a relationship, some really bad stuff happened and I walked away needing a fresh start, which is what being here is supposed to be for me, and I just… I didn’t expect to meet anyone so…”
> 
> He moved to face her and cupped her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. “Felicity, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself, you already told me that you didn’t come here for a boyfriend.”
> 
> “Right… I just, I didn’t mean to make things confusing with all the…“ She gestured awkwardly at his bed they had just vacated. “You know.”
> 
> _Because I for one, am definitely confused now._
> 
> He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “Well, we can just blame that on the mistletoe.”

***END OF FLASHBACK***

When they landed at the airport in Zurich, they quickly boarded the train that would take them the rest of the way to meet the Prescotts. Looking out the windows, she was in awe of the stunning snow covered scenery that surrounded them as the ascended into the mountains.

A car was waiting for them upon their arrival at the train station and after a short ride, they came into view of the lodge where they would be staying at.

“Wow,” Felicity whispered. “They had shown me pictures when I talked to them in Bali, but they did not quite do it justice.”

They stepped out of the car and she spotted the couple waving from one of the balconies. She hadn’t actually expected them to follow through with the causal invitation they had extended to her when she was talking to them in Bali about “her and her husband’s travels,” so hearing from them had been a pleasant surprise. And sure, there was a part of her that felt bad that her and Oliver were totally deceiving them with their fake personas (she did not however, feel bad about deceiving Amanda Waller with the fake red flag), but at least this time them being a happily married couple wasn’t as far off from reality as it had been in Bali.

While she had been recovering from her concussion, Oliver had stayed with her every night, devoted to not only taking care of her but atoning for the pain that he had caused her heart, which had gradually turned into him having a drawer at her place and spending more time there than at his until she finally told him to just move in. After all, she had bought the place with the two of them in mind, and since she had spent a year having no clue where on earth he was, she liked going to sleep and waking up every day wrapped up in his arms. That wasn’t to say that they had completely moved past everything that had happened, but they were at least heading in the right direction and wouldn’t have to pretend too much to assume their aliases.

“Eliza! Thomas!” Mrs. Prescott elegantly glided down the front porch stairs to greet them as they approached the lodge. “I trust you had safe travels?”

Felicity extended a hand to her, “We did. Thank you again for inviting us to your home. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

“Just wait until you see the inside,” she replied with a wink. “And please, call me Camille. Mrs. Prescott is my mother-in-law.”

Felicity smiled, “Camille, this is my husband Ol—Thomas. I don’t believe you two met in Bali?”

Camille turned to Oliver, “No, we didn’t. It’s nice to meet you Thomas.”

“Likewise,” he replied. 

Felicity started to shiver and Camille took note, “Oh you must be freezing. We’re having a dreadfully cold winter here. Let’s get you inside and warmed up.”

They followed her into a spacious living area with an enormous Christmas tree gilded with silver and gold colored ornaments in the corner and a fireplace decked with stockings, the mantle topped with a garland with pinecones and little bells.

“The staff had everything decorated for us when we arrived the other day,” Camille commented as they walked through. “I just love how homey it feels here at Christmastime.”

As if on cue, a housekeeper approached them, “I have the room ready for Mr. and Mrs. Callahan.”

“Thank you Jane,” Camille addressed her. “Why don’t you take them up there so they can get settled before dinner?”

* * *

 

The housekeeper, Jane, led them upstairs and pushed open the door to one of the rooms and Felicity squeezed his hand excitedly as they entered. A massive stone fireplace flanked one of the walls and a fire was already crackling inside, making the whole room feel warm and cozy. His eyes moved across the room to the dark wood bed that was made up with luxurious looking linens, a large faux-fur throw spread over the end. Lingering on it for a moment he pictured Felicity lying there, her hair spread out around her like a halo and her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the fire just before he made her blush for an entirely different reason. His attention was recaptured when Jane walked over to a wall entirely covered in curtains to pull them aside, revealing large windows that looked out at a spectacular view and he heard Felicity stifle a gasp.

“Will this room be suitable?” the housekeeper turned to ask them.

“Yes,” he nodded. “This is perfect.”

“Excellent. I will have someone bring your luggage up. If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to ask. Someone will fetch you in an hour for dinner.”

She left the room and Felicity turned to him, “I love pretending to be rich.”

He huffed in amusement and let her tug him over to the windows to take in the view. “Very different from what was outside our windows in Bali,” she mused. “We should go skiing… do you know how to ski?”

“I’ve skied before,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Have you?”

“Nope. And you know how graceful I am in the snow. It’s quite possible that this trip will also end with me having a concussion. But that will make it more believable that we did some serious recon and just found no reason for there to be a flag on them, so I guess I can take one for the team.” She turned into him and tilted her chin up in invitation for a kiss which he happily obliged.

“Thank you. For arranging this,” he whispered.

She reached up and cupped his cheek, lightly scratching at his stubble, “I wanted you to have a good Christmas this year.”

He swallowed. She had been reading his notebook, the one with his letters from Hong Kong, and while she hadn’t pressed him to talk about it, he knew where she was at based on what page corner had been turned down the last time it had been sitting out on her bedside table. He knew that she had gotten to December, had read about the low, home-sick place he had been at a time of the year that was usually his favorite. Read about how the worn out picture of the two of them that he had from the holiday party the year before had only served as a reminder that sharpened the pain and longing in his chest while he was so far away from her.

He had feared if she read the letters, she would be appalled at the things he had done and yet she only seemed to want to soothe the pain he had endured.

He pressed his forehead to hers, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Her hands slipped underneath the bottom of his shirt and he felt the cool metal of her engagement and wedding rings on his skin when she caressed his back. All he wanted was to someday put those rings on her finger for real, not just for their aliases, and it no longer seemed like an unattainable dream. “She said we have an hour until dinner, right?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, “Yes…”

She grinned mischievously, “You want to test out that bed?”

***ARGUS TRAINING FACILITY: CLASSIFIED LOCATION***

> “Can you believe they made us disable a real bomb today? Like if we failed we would have all been blown to bits….”
> 
> “Yes, I actually can believe it,” Oliver deadpanned. “I’m also starting to believe it requires a certain amount of insanity to sign on to this.”
> 
> “Are you saying we’re insane?” she asked teasingly, twisting around on the couch to look at him.
> 
> “Definitely, at least a little bit,” he replied with a grin that she had grown to be rather fond of despite her best intentions and she returned her gaze to her laptop to clear her head. “You want marshmallows in your cocoa?”
> 
> “Duh,” she answered, tapping away at her keyboard. Hanging out alone like this with him was dangerous, she knew that. Especially after what had transpired between them after the holiday party a few weeks ago. Since then, things had mostly returned to normal between them, but it was impossible to forget certain things that were branded in her memory, like the feeling of his lips on her skin and the color his eyes had turned when her dress dropped to the floor. If it was just a physical attraction, she could probably get over it, what made things worse was how much she liked just talking to him and training together and hearing his laugh and a whole bunch of other dumb, really sappy things. Her resolve to not let herself get caught up in a relationship while she was here was pretty much gone at this point.
> 
> Oliver carried over the two mugs of hot chocolate with a bag of marshmallows between his teeth and handed her mug to her.
> 
> “Thank you.” She wrapped her hands around the warm mug gratefully. After their exercise with the bomb that morning they had been sent out into the snow for tactical training and she still hadn’t fully returned to normal human body temperature.
> 
> “No problem.” He ripped open the bag of marshmallows and dropped a few into her cocoa. “What are you working on?”
> 
> “What?”
> 
> He tipped his head to her computer.
> 
> “Oh, just working on a little pet project. Coding de-stresses me, and after the bomb this morning I needed a little keyboard therapy.”
> 
> “Is that would you would be doing if ARGUS didn’t recruit you? Software development or whatever?”
> 
> “Cyber security contracting,” she clarified. “Which is probably what I’m going to end up doing for ARGUS too anyway. As much as I like to hope that I’ll get to be a field agent when we graduate, it’s more likely that I’ll be sitting in an office at one of the headquarters protecting the world’s secrets with my magic fingers.” She waggled her fingers at him and took a sip of her cocoa before realizing that there were different ways that could be taken.
> 
> Oliver smirked and muttered, “I can attest to the power of those magic fingers.”
> 
> _And unsurprisingly he took it to a dirty place._
> 
> Grabbing a handful of marshmallows from the bag he had left on the table, she threw them at him, leveling him with a glare.
> 
> “I wouldn’t start something unless you can handle a little retaliation,” he fired back, reaching for his own handful of marshmallows to throw at her.
> 
> “Hey!” She pushed him down to lie flat on his back on the couch and pinned him underneath her. “Don’t waste perfectly good marshmallows by throwing them everywhere.”
> 
> “You started it!” he replied incredulously.
> 
> “Only because you were making fun of me and my Freudian slips. So technically, you started it.”
> 
> He reached up to grab one of her hands and bring it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the pads of her fingers, “Oh but I wasn’t making fun of you at all. It was intended as a compliment.”
> 
> _Oh boy…_
> 
> She swallowed and didn’t miss the way his eyes zeroed in on her throat and he licked his lips.
> 
> Suddenly she was very conscious of the fact that she was straddling him.
> 
> _Yup. Resolve completely and totally gone._
> 
> Her fingers found the button of his pants and undid it, but before she could drag the zipper down, he had grabbed her wrist.
> 
> “Felicity? We can’t exactly blame it on mistletoe this time…”
> 
> “I don’t want to blame it on anything.” She lifted her eyes to meet his, “I just want you.”
> 
> “Oh. But you said—“
> 
> She put a finger over his lips. “It’s possible that I changed my mind, but you should stop talking or you’re going to give me enough time to talk myself out of this and I really don’t want to do that.”

***END OF FLASHBACK***

“We only have 20 minutes until dinner,” she muttered as they laid in the twisted up sheets. “I have to fix my hair.”

“Why? I think it looks great,” Oliver replied, running his fingers through the strands and making the wild, messy state that it was currently in even worse.

She fixed him with a look and rolled off the bed, dragging the sheet with her to wrap around herself as she went to the closet to pick out one of the dresses that had been hung up for her from her suitcase. Selecting a wine colored wrap dress she retreated into the bathroom to fix herself up quickly for dinner. 17 minutes later her makeup was refreshed, her hair was pinned back in a French twist, and she was doing the clasp on a diamond necklace, courtesy of ARGUS. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Oliver was in a suit and was slipping on his shoes.

She walked over to him and did a quick inspection, reaching up to rub a little bit of her lipstick off of his face.

“Good to go?” he asked.

“Mhmm. How do I look?”

He gave her a sweeping look before meeting her eyes, “Beautiful.”

A knock on the door came right on cue and they opened it to the staff member who was announcing dinnertime.   

“Thank you, we’ll be right down,” Felicity replied. “You ready to be in husband mode, Mr. Callahan?” she asked Oliver once the woman had left them.

He extended an arm to her, “Always.”

Dinner started off rather uneventfully. The food was delicious. The conversation was pleasant, Oliver and Felicity using techniques they had mastered in training on subtly keeping the topic of conversation off of themselves to avoid having to weave too complicated of a fake backstory for themselves beyond what they already had. Yes, everything went pretty much how she had expected it to… until they were on the dessert course.

The telephone rang and Felicity thought that the look exchanged between the two Prescotts was a little peculiar. Mr. Prescott excused himself to go answer it and she could have sworn that Mrs. Prescott looked a little paler than she did at the beginning of their meal but she continued to tell her story about the Christmas they had spent on a cruise in the Mediterranean as if there hadn’t been any disturbance. 

Moments later, Mr. Prescott returned to the table and leaned down to whisper something in his wife’s ear. If she wasn’t paler before, she definitely was now.

She cleared her throat, “I’m so sorry to cut things short, but there’s some business we must attend to. Feel free to linger as long as you’d like though.”

They left the table quickly and Oliver turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised, “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m thinking it looks like we may have actually stumbled upon something suspicious.”

She shook her head, “So much for a nice vacation for the holidays, this is karma getting me for falsifying that red flag. I’m definitely going to end up tied to a chair in a closet now.” 

* * *

 

“Phone tap?”

“Yep, I’m on it,” she replied as soon as they made it up to their room and she got onto her computer.

Within a few seconds she had Camille’s voice filtering into the room, _“Sweetheart, I know you think that you’re in love with him, but please don’t do anything rash. Why don’t you come to the lodge for the holidays like we were planning and we can discuss this more then…”_

Felicity closed her laptop and he heard her breathe a sigh of relief, “Family business, not illegal business.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, “Normal, stress-free vacation is back on.”

She smiled, “Yeah. I mean as stress-free as hurtling down a mountain on two thin pieces of fiberglass can be, because I definitely want to give skiing a try tomorrow.”

“Anything else on your to-do list?” he asked, sitting down next to her on the couch and pulling her into his lap.

She loosened his tie, “This trip is _your_ present, what do you want to do?”

“I like skiing.” He tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her updo behind her ear. “Because then we’ll have to warm back up.”

“The tub in the bathroom definitely looked plenty big enough for two,” she reported. “And we’ve already determined that the bed is quite nice and cozy.”

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, “Yes, we have.”

“I have to say though, I’m maybe a teeny bit disappointed that the Prescotts aren’t up to something.”

He raised an eyebrow, “You are?”

“Yeah. I like working with you. I know we’re technically working together as Violet’s contact people within the agency, but it’s not the same. I know not every assignment is as glamorous and easy as Bali was, I’m not naïve. I know now what happened in Hong Kong, but I’ve wanted to be partners in the field since we were training together and, even if it’s dangerous, I want a chance to do that again.”

“But maybe without the concussion next time,” he added, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Because then I won’t have to do all the post-op paperwork myself.”

She could tell he wanted to divert away from talk about Hong Kong or the potential of her being involved with something as horrific as it had been. After reading his letters she knew she never wanted him to feel so isolated and alone on an assignment again, even if it meant having to endure painful experiences herself, she wanted to be a partner he could rely on.

But right now they were safe and had a whole vacation stretching out in front of them and there was no reason to discuss things like that, so she returned his banter, “Mmm not having to do any of the paperwork made the throbbing pain in my head kind of worth it.”

She undid his tie the rest of the way and started to unbutton his shirt.

“You do remember that you weren’t allowed to look at your phone, tablet, or computer screen for like a week?”

She groaned, “Oh yeah. Definitely no concussion next time.”

He huffed in amusement and shifted them so he could stand up and carry her to bed.

* * *

 

“I am so sorry for last night,” Camille apologized when they came downstairs the next morning for breakfast. “I hated to cut things short but we had a bit of a family emergency to deal with.”

“It’s alright,” Felicity assured her.

“Our daughter, she’s 19,” Camille continued and Felicity had a feeling they were soon going to be privy to more family drama than she cared to know about. “And she’s dating this boy who’s a total dirtbag, I’m entirely convinced the only thing he sees when he looks at her is dollar signs, but we’ve tried not to intervene and let her make her own decisions. Except last night one of our staff members at our Paris flat overheard them discussing their plans to elope and I feel like that’s a reasonable place to step in as a parent, don’t you think?” She waved her hands dismissively, “Sorry, I shouldn’t bother you with our problems. You’ll get to experience enough yourselves when you have your own kids.”

She almost choked on the sip of coffee she had just taken. It had taken some serious convincing just for Oliver to believe that he wasn’t too damaged to be in a relationship with her, the thought of having a family while they lived this life would definitely be enough to send him into a panic and she didn’t want him to start second guessing things.  

Oliver gave her a confused look as rubbed her back and she coughed.

_Wait, why does it seem like I’m panicking more than he is?_

“Have you two discussed your plans for today?” Camille asked.

“Skiing,” she blurted out, happy for the change in conversation. “We were hoping to go skiing. I’ve never been before.”

“Of course, you can’t come to the Swiss Alps without hitting the slopes,” Mr. Prescott interjected, looking up from whatever he was reading on his tablet. “I was thinking of going out today too, so you can tag along.”

* * *

 

“Oh I forgot I was afraid of heights,” he heard Felicity mutter before burying her face in his shoulder as the ski lift ascended up the mountain.

“It’s kind of too late to go back down at this point…”

Something that sounded like “I know” was mumbled into his jacket sleeve.

“You’re going to do great,” he assured her. “You were really getting the hang of things on the little practice hill.”

She lifted her head back up to look at him, “You’re right. I was.”

Wrapping an arm across her shoulders to make her feel more secure as they got higher into the air, he continued, “And we only have to go down once if you hate it.”

“I don’t think I’m going to hate it, I think I’m just going to feel better about the whole thing when I’m at the bottom and all my limbs are still attached.”

“I’m pretty confident that you’re still going to be intact at the bottom.”

They made it to the top of the lift and he gave her a reassuring nod.

“Here goes nothing,” he heard her mutter as she pushed off and went flying down the slope.

He followed her down and was relieved to see that she was still on her feet, a grin on her face, when he joined her at the bottom.

“That. Was. Awesome.” She declared, waving her poles in the air and he watched in amusement as someone dodged them with a terrified look. “C’mon let’s go again.”

They ended up spending a few hours going down several of the different hills before he could tell she was starting to drag a little bit from the cold and exercise.

“You ready to call it a day?” he asked, pressing a kiss to the tip of her red nose.

“Yep,” she nodded. “The Jacuzzi tub is sounding really nice right now. I can already tell I’m going to be super sore tomorrow. Like really, really sore.” She looked up at him and he knew she was baiting him to offer her a massage.

Back at training, he had given her a massage once and it quickly turned into her coming into his room and just flinging herself onto his bed expectantly after a particularly rough day of drills and workouts. He would pretend to complain that he had been reduced to her manservant, but she knew full well he was just messing with her.  

He sighed faux-dramatically, “I guess I’m just going to have to give you a massage then.”

She grinned and bounced up on her toes to give him a kiss, “You’re the best boyfriend ever.” Her eyes widened and she looked around warily to see if Mr. Prescott was nearby, but he was several yards away talking to some other people.  

“ _Husband, husband, husband_ ,” he heard her mutter to herself as a reminder while they walked over to Mr. Prescott to check in before heading back to the lodge.

He on the other hand, found himself having more trouble remembering that she wasn’t actually his wife.

_Yet._

* * *

 

She dipped her toe in the water and recoiled it quickly, “Oooh that’s hot.”

Oliver came up behind her and stepped in, “No it’s not.”

“What do you have, skin of steel?”

“No it’s just not that bad.” He stretched out in the spacious tub and beckoned to her, “C’mon.”

She hadn’t been able to stop shivering since they had gotten back from the slopes but once her body was submerged in the water, she felt warmth spread through her body, warming up her fingers and toes that had long gone numb.

“Okay you’re right, this is nice,” she conceded, shifting to settle comfortably against him.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her shoulder, “Thank you, again, for this trip. For being your amazing self and getting us invited in the first place and then for making it possible for us to actually be here. The presents I got for you are really lame compared to this.”

“Oliver…” She took his hands in his and rested them against her stomach. “Last year I didn’t know where you were, I didn’t even know if you were alive. Just getting to be here with you right now is the best present I could get. I know you don’t always think the most highly of yourself, so maybe you don’t understand how I could possibly feel that way, but you I love you and I love spending time with you.”

She was met with silence and she twisted around to look over her shoulder at him, “You get that, right?”

He swallowed and then nodded, “Yeah. I love you too.”

“I will gladly still accept those other presents though, so I can be the one to determine whether or not they’re lame,” she teased, settling back against his chest again and feeling it vibrate underneath her with a laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> PS: I kinda fell in love with this universe, so if you guys love it too, there's a chance that I might add some complimentary one-shots ;)


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